France, UK, Germany reject US call to return Iran sanctions
The United States has no authority to demand a snap-back in sanctions against Iran after quitting the 2015 nuclear deal 2 yrs ago, the French Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement with Germany and Britain on Sunday.
"We've worked tirelessly to preserve the nuclear agreement and remain focused on do so," the three countries' foreign ministers said in the statement, reports Bloomberg.Since quitting the nuclear accord in-may 2018, the Trump administration has intensified efforts to pressure the Islamic republic, ratcheting up sanctions.
However the US moves have united partners like Britain, France and Germany with Russia and China, who have sought to salvage the accord.That has left the US isolated on the UN Security Council, with most nations saying America does not have any authority to demand the return of international sanctions since it's no longer a party to the agreement.
THE UNITED STATES says that the broader Security Council resolution that enshrined the accord doesn't want it to be in the agreement, and that all of the US resolutions on Iran which were in place prior to the accord - from a ban on arm deals to restrictions on the Islamic republic's ballistic missile activity and its nuclear enrichment - must have gone back into influence on Saturday.
THE UNITED STATES expects all UN member states to adhere to their obligations to implement sanctions, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement late Saturday.
