UN Security Council rejects US demand for 'snapback' sanctions on Iran

The president of the UN Security Council on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's demand to restore all UN sanctions on Iran, a move that drew an angry rebuke from the US ambassador who accused opponents of supporting “terrorists.” Indonesia's ambassador to the UN, Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country currently holds the rotating council presidency, made the announcement in response to requests from Russia and China to disclose the results of his polling of the views of all countries on the 15-member council.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted last Thursday that the United States has the legal right to “snap back” UN sanctions, even though President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers that was endorsed by the UN Security Council.

All the council members, except the Dominican Republic, had informed the council president that the US administration's action was illegal because Trump withdrew in 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

Iran to allow access to 2 suspected nuke sites

The UN nuclear watchdog agency says Tehran has agreed to allow inspectors into two sites where Iran is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday that Iran was “voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve the issues.”