U.S. has every right to snapback Iran sanctions

The United States is on course to restore all United Nations Security Council resolutions sanctions on Iran’s regime. This is known as the “snapback” mechanism.

It is quite interesting how Obama loyalists and Europe are siding with the mullahs while knowing the regime has violated the 2015 deal from day one.

First of all, for those claiming the U.S. has no right to snapback, read UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that clearly describes the United States as one of the “JCPOA participants.”

Back in August 05, 2015, less than three weeks after reaching a deal with the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran, former U.S. President Barack Obama specifically said: “We won’t need the support of other members of the UN Security Council, America can trigger snap back on our own.”

Iran violated its nuclear obligations, even after the 2015 nuclear deal with Obama. The question is, why did the Europeans never seriously follow through with a complaint? We know why Russia and China never would. But why not the Europeans?

If you ask me: business interests.

Let’s look at Iran’s JCPOA violations. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said very clear in a TV interview:

“We did not fill the Arak heavy water reactor with cement… We had already purchased pipes like those filled… Only Khamenei knew.”

Arak is a highly controversial heavy water reactor site located in central Iran that Iran kept secret from the international community until its revelation by the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) back in August 2002.

“For one thing, we already know of many Iranian violations (or likely violations) of the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA),” says Adam Turner, General Counsel and Legislative Affairs Director for the Endowment for Middle East Truth, in his Newsmax article.

And this was prior to U.S. President Donald Trump exiting the deal.

8 December 2015

Tehran violated the deal by refusing to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in investigating the Possible Military Dimensions of the nuclear program, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

7 July 2016

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency annual report states Iran pursued a “clandestine” path toward obtaining illicit nuclear technology andequipment from German companies “at what is, even by international standards, a quantitatively high level.”

6 June 2017

The Iranians produced excess heavy water, illegally, at least twice, which they sold for profit, according to Reuters.

29 August 2017

IAEA inspectors — and the West itself — are severely limited in their ability to monitor Iranian compliance with the JCPOA, according to Reuters.

Iran’s refusal to allow international inspections of its’ military sites is itself a violation of the Iran deal. The relevant language of the JCPOA states (see Annex I, Q Access, pg. 23).

20 September 2017

The Iranians have exceeded the limits on advanced centrifuge research and development, by assembling more than a half dozen IR-8 rotor assemblies and operating 13 to 15 IR-6 centrifuges in a single cascade, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

1 October 2017

Iran is likely violating Section T, banning “activities which could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device,” e.g. using computer models simulating a nuclear bomb, or designing multi-point, explosive detonation systems, according to a Fox News report.

9 October 2017

German intelligence has reported that in 2015 and 2016, when the U.S. was still part of the JCPOA, Iran attempted more than one hundred times to obtain illicit nuclear technology, which may be in violation of the deal.

10 October 2017

Iranian opposition coalition NCRI, released in 2017 critical information showing that Iran’s research & development activities, as well as nuclear activities, were continuing at the Parchin military site, out of reach of IAEA inspectors.

As mentioned before, the NCRI first blew the whistle Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities in two major sites, Natanz and Arak, back in August 2002.

This thread sheds more light.

1 May 2018

Israel exposed much of what the Iranians had been hiding from the IAEA. All violations of Iran’s nuclear obligations prior to U.S. President Donald Trump exiting the 2015 nuclear deal, according to BBC News.

8 May 2018

And with Iran violating the JCPOA to such an extent, it is quite logical why U.S. President Donald Trump described it a “stupid deal” and withdrew America from the framework.

13 November 2018

Iran “has the know-how to build a bomb fairly swiftly, perhaps in a matter of months, said David Albright, a physicist who runs the nonprofit Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C.”

“Iran managed to ‘put in place by the end of 2003 the infrastructure for a comprehensive nuclear weapons program” intended to initially produce five nuclear warheads, each with an explosive yield of 10 kilotons, according to the draft.’”

2 July 2019

“Iran violates nuclear deal, exceeds 300 kg limit on enriched uranium”

This demonstrates that Iran’s announcement that it had surpassed the 300-kilogram cap is in direct violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, according to The Jerusalem Post.

4 November 2019

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi:

“… when you enter negotiations, you may accept something, but you have countermeasures… your opponent, who thought you were trapped, suddenly sees you are continuing your enrichment?”

27 April 2020

“Iran’s uranium enrichment program provides, by itself, a major justification for continued U.S. and international sanctions. A snapback of sanctions under the JCPOA is fully justified today,” according to the Institute for Sciences and International Security.

Important reminder:

August 2015 — The Associated Press revealed secret side deal allowing Iran to self-inspect nuclear facility where they conducted nuclear weapons work. Team Obama used their favorite echo chamber authors to attack AP.

AP responded by publishing the side deal.

Important reminder:

August 2016 — The Wall Street Journal uncovered Team Obama gave Iran $1.7 billion in unmarked cash ransom for hostages. At a briefing the State Department admitted they were lying about the quid pro quo.

“this particular fact is not something that we’ve talked about in the past”

Important reminder:

John Kerry, Barack Obama’s secretary of state, specifically acknowledged that Iran’s regime would use money released by the JCPOA to further support terrorism. Again, this was far prior to President Trump exiting the deal.

Important reminder:

The JCPOA provided Iran access to $150 billion in credit & $1.8 billion in cash. This is how Iran spends such money.

Important reminder:

“The JCPOA allowed Iran to persist in rogue behavior — including its sponsorship of terrorism across the Middle East and beyond.’”

Important reminder:

In January 2016, just months after the Iran nuclear deal was signed, Iran’s forces seized 10 US Navy sailors in international waters and held them hostage. And yet certain DC politicians criticize US President Donald Trump for exiting the deal and demand a return.

15 June 2020

IAEA chief — “For over four months Iran has denied us access to two locations and for almost a year, it has not engaged in substantive discussions to clarify our questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material & nuclear-related activities,” according to the Associated Press.

IAEA chief report

Where are we now?

The U.S. submitted a complaint about Iran breaching the nuclear deal to the UN Security Council. The UNSC Presidency says there is nothing he can do as there is no clear consent among the Council members.

If such a resolution is not put forward by the 30-day deadline, all UN sanctions in place before the 2015 nuclear deal would be automatically restored.

If a resolution is put forward prior to the 30-day deadline, say by Russia or China, the U.S. can veto that resolution, forcing the deadline to expire and triggering the snapback mechanism imposing all UN sanctions.

All nations that abstained should abstain again if any state questions US’ snapback right. To do otherwise would move them from an already morally compromised position of neutrality to proactive support of China/Russia launching a military client state in Iran, tweeted Richard Goldberg, Senior Adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

What is the “double veto” power?

It is now quite obvious that UN Security Council members would rather witness a Middle East arms race because they would profit from selling weapons and defense systems to all parties involved.

They care nothing about the region’s nations that will suffer greatly.

Important read by Amb. Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence:

Iran “is now closer to welcoming business from Chinese and Russian weapons dealers, while America’s European allies simply shrug.”

The UN Security Council and especially the Europeans could have cooperated with the U.S. in extending the UN arms embargo on Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

They failed and chose the hard path. As a result, snapback will bear an even harsher outcome for Iran’s regime.

On a note, especially for European governments:

Chamberlain appeased Hitler. That did not end well.

Stop your appeasement of Iran’s genocidal regime and join the U.S.’ maximum pressure campaign. This is the only language Tehran understands and it’s for your own good.

My thoughts:

The regime in Iran will forever be grateful of the Obama administration for the highly 2015 nuclear deal. As an Iranian, I will never forget those horrible eight years.

And finally, Obama provided Iran’s regime access to $150 billion in credit & $1.8 billion in unmarked cash?

Much of that money fueled global terrorism.

And not a single dime was spent on the Iranian people; two thirds live in absolute poverty…