United States calls Iran to account

Russia and other members of the United Nations Security Council pushed back against the United States’ demand that the UN reinstate sanctions against Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed to Iran’s violations of the 2015 nuclear deal and said the breach should immediately trigger a “snapback” of UN sanctions.

What’s the problem? Even though the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the Trump administration said it maintains the right as an initial party to invoke the snapback provisions. Most members of the Security Council, including Britain, China, France, and Russia, disagree. Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. request starts a 30-day countdown to reinstating sanctions on Iran unless the Security Council passes a resolution specifically extending their suspension. The United States could use its veto power to block such a resolution.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s analysis of Iran’s nuclear program.