U.S. Not Allowed to Use ‘Snapback’ Mechanism Against Iran

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani says the United States is not legally authorized to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran.

President n Rouhani said on Wednesday that Washington has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and, hence, is not legally authorized to invoke the sanctions.

“It is stipulated in that mechanism (snapback) that signatories or one of the signatories to the JCPOA can use this mechanism. However, the U.S. cannot use this mechanism as it has clearly announced that it has pulled out of the JCPOA, and that it is the worst agreement, and has withdrawn from it,” said Rouhani.

He then criticized some people who claim the U.S. would not have been able to withdraw from the JCPOA if the foundation of the agreement were stronger.

“Is there an agreement which the US has not pulled out of?” asked the president rhetorically.

“You are saying that the foundation of the JCPOA was not strong enough, but how about the US withdrawal from the WTO, UNESCO, NAFTA and the Paris Climate Agreement? Was their foundation weak, too? The U.S. has pulled out of whatever useful agreements,” said Rouhani.

He then touched upon sanctions, which, he added, has put Iranian people under pressure, and said, “We are standing up to these sanctions, which will come to an end one day … and the rule of tyrants at the White House will not last forever, either.”

“Economic war is in line with plots hatched by the global arrogance against the country,” Rouhani said speaking at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning.

He further said, “We have a very heavy responsibility during the Government Week, like the conspiracies that were plotted against us in the 1970s, and today the global arrogance has plotted against us. At that time, they wanted to overthrow the Islamic system by assassinating the officials. The next day, they pursued this goal with the imposed war and today with the economic war.”

The President called the month of Muharram a large and large school in the world of Shiism and Islam and said: the atmosphere of the country should be Hosseini from the first day of Muharram.

He added, “Once again we are on the eve of the blessed and life-giving month of Muharram. We receive the cultural blessings, trust, and strength of our resistance from the month of Muharram, and always in the month of Muharram, we open the windows of our souls and hearts to the shining sun of guidance and salvation, the Ashura culture, to receive both the light of guidance and the life-giving warmth of that sun.

President Rouhani noted, “The people of Iran witnessed well these days, and on August 19, 1956, the enemy apparently achieved an apparent success that year, but inwardly their path was wrong, but these days, on August 15, 2020, they did not seem to succeed either and they failed in the Security Council”.

“They prepared all this, they sent people and they were begging in different countries and they called, even on the day of the voting, they were constantly pressuring other countries, but they still failed,” he said.

The President said: “I thank the 11 countries that did not vote in the UN Security Council on the plan to extend the arms embargo on Iran, and the two friendly countries – Russia and China – that voted unequivocally against the United States.”

He stated that the U.S. is left alone, the Iranian nation must see this greatness because this victory belongs to the nation and the government is the representative and servant of the people and this event is unprecedented in the history of the United Nations.

The head of the government, stating that strengthening the Islamic Republic is in the interest of all of us, said: Of course, in these special circumstances, we understand and know that the enemy has not achieved and will not achieve its goals with its pressures, but has caused problems and harassed people.

President Rouhani pointed out: “We must stand against the enemy because this period is coming to an end. If anyone in Iran thinks that this regime of the White House and that these oppressive sanctions are permanent, they are both wrong. Both the tyranny of the White House will not last forever and the sanctions will not last forever and the sanctions will break and disappear.”