Since the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it could not be considered a part of it, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said on Sunday.
“We, therefore, consider that the US is not in a position to resort to mechanisms reserved for JCPOA participants [such as the so-called snapback],” FDA News reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said on Sunday the Americans are well aware that they are not able to trigger a snapback mechanism as it is illegal and not acceptable.
“US ‘snapback’ is so illegal that it is not acceptable and Americans know it.”
“On May 8, 2018, when John Bolton was in the height of his joy for destroying JCPOA, saying that he would also destroy Iran in three months, announced in his press conference at the White House that they are no longer a member of JCPOA to use snapback mechanism,” Zarif highlighted.
He added, “The transcript of Bolton’s remarks is still on the White House website unless now that I have mentioned it, they remove that sentence.”
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed Washington will pursue the “snapback” option in the coming week after the US lost a bid at the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Iran.
US administration claims that as a JCPOA signatory it has the right to trigger the snapback mechanism that could resume all UN sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran stresses that the US has no right to do so as President Donald Trump has officially ‘ceased US participation’ in the deal back in May 2018.
