Erdan demands reimposition of Iran sanctions backing US ‘snapback’

In the wake of the US activation of the ‘snapback’ mechanism of sanctions against Iran due to Iranian noncompliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, addressed an official letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, demanding the UN the re-establishment of the Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts, which oversees the enforcement of the sanctions against Iran.

“Iran has blatantly violated the nuclear agreement and its ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons have been exposed,” claimed Erdan in the letter. 

“Therefore, in accordance with the ‘snapback’ mechanism made available at the signing of the agreement and recently initiated by the United States, all sanctions imposed on the regime are to be reinstated, and the UN Secretary-General must take the required action as set forth in the relevant Security Council resolutions.” 

Erdan stated that “in recent years, Iran has proven itself to be the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism,” adding that Iran “has never renounced its nuclear program and continues to proliferate weapons to its proxies in our region and beyond.”

“Wherever there is slaughter and bloodshed, we see the direct involvement of the Iranian regime. Therefore, it poses a clear threat to the stability and security of the Middle East and of the world,” Erdan said.

“The United Nations must act immediately to impose crippling sanctions on the regime and to put an end to its murderous actions,” continued Erdan, concluding his letter by emphasizing that “Iran constitutes the greatest threat to the Middle East today, if not to the entire world.”

Erdan expressed since the very beginning of the process Israel’s full support for America’s triggering of the snapback mechanism at the UN Security Council 

“Israel stands firmly with the United States, and will do all in its power to assist the US government in stopping Iran’s malign activities and aspirations,” Erdan then declared.

A reimposition of the 2015 UNSC sanctions would also include an arms embargo that would act to prevent the flow of arms to Iran, once a separate UNSC arms embargo on Iran is automatically lifted in October.

Thirteen of the 15 UNSC members have said that the US request is illegal since it withdrew from the 2015 Iran deal but the US argued that as one of the five permanent UNSC members it has a right to call for the snapback.Eleven out of 15 members of the council abstained in the vote to extend the arms embargo, while Russia and China opposed the measure, and two countries, the US and the Dominican Republic supported.Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.