As the UN Security Council failed to pass a draft resolution on extending Iran's sanctions exemption, on the 27th Eastern Time, according to the "rapid resumption of sanctions" mechanism, a number of sanctions against Iran will officially return to effect. Iran condemned the move as "political suppression" and said it had taken necessary countermeasures.
So, what is the mechanism of “rapid reinstatement of sanctions”? what specifics do the sanctions on Iran contain? what impact will the reinstatement have on the situation in the region?
Two draft resolutions of the Security Council were not adopted
UN sanctions against Iraq are automatically restored
To pressure Iran and the United States to resume nuclear talks, Britain, France and Germany informed the Security Council on August 28 that they would initiate a "rapid reinstatement" mechanism under resolution 2231 on Iran's failure to comply with the nuclear agreement.
On September 19, the Security Council failed to pass the draft resolution on continuing the lifting of sanctions against Iran due to nine votes against the United States, Britain and France.
On September 26th, the UN Security Council voted on the draft resolution proposed by China and Russia to extend the Iranian nuclear deal sanctions exemption, but the relevant draft resolution failed to pass. According to the relevant provisions of the Iranian nuclear deal and Security Council Resolution 2231, sanctions against Iran will return to effect on September 27th, Eastern Time.
Iran: Restoring sanctions is political repression
Measures needed to deal with sanctions
In the face of the resumption of sanctions, Iran's attitude is clear: after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement, the Anglo-German three countries pushed for the resumption of sanctions, in essence due to political repression rather than legal issues, this behavior seriously undermines the credibility of the international community.
Iranian Foreign Minister Al-Araqi noted that the US-European use of the so-called “Rapid Recovery Mechanism” has no legal effect, is politically reckless and has procedural flaws. He reiterated that all nuclear restrictions based on Security Council resolution 2231 will end permanently on October 18, Iran will not acknowledge any attempt to extend or reinstate these measures.
Given the irresponsible conduct of the three British and German countries in abusing the mechanism for resolving disputes in the Iran nuclear agreement and attempting to restore resolutions that have been revoked by the UN Security Council, Iran’s ambassadors in Germany, France and the UK have been recalled to Tehran for consultations.
Iran's Vice President and President of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Questioning the fairness of current dialogue and negotiationsHe stressed that Tehran is committed to dialogue, and that negotiations should not be negotiated if the outcome of the negotiations was announced from the outset. The negotiations should have a dialogue agenda, and joint decisions should be made according to a balanced, appropriate and fair approach.
Iranian government spokesman Mohajrani said, Iran will not be silent about injusticeShe called on the world to re-examine justice and peace. At the same time, she once again stressed that Iran still maintains its willingness to talk.
President of Iran Pezzhiyan
In an interview with reporters on Thursday, Iran’s President Pence said that during the UN General Assembly, Iran consulted with several European countries and achieved certain outcomes, but that the U.S. demanded that Iran hand over all enriched uranium in exchange for a three-month “sanctions suspension period,” which was “absolutely unacceptable.”
Pezeshiziyan also said, Iran has made the necessary arrangements to activate the mechanism to respond to the "rapid reinstatement of sanctions."
The mechanism of “rapid reinstatement of sanctions” and its potential implications
What is the “rapid reinstatement” mechanism?
In 2015, Iran signed a nuclear agreement with the United Nations, the United States and the European Union in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against Iran. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2231 approving the Iran nuclear agreement.
Under this clause, any signatory to the Iranian nuclear agreement, if it finds that Iran has "grave violations" of the Iranian nuclear agreement, can request the Security Council to initiate a "rapid resumption of sanctions" mechanism to seek the resumption of relevant UN sanctions against Iran.
On August 28, this year, Britain, France, and Germany notified the Security Council to launch the "rapid resumption of sanctions" mechanism on the basis of Iran's violation of the Iran nuclear agreement. According to the rules, from the date of the "rapid resumption of sanctions" mechanism, if the Security Council fails to pass a resolution on extending the period of exemption from sanctions against Iran within 30 days, the relevant UN sanctions against Iran will be resumed.
What are the sanctions on Iran?
Before the Iranian nuclear deal was reached, the Security Council passed four sanctions resolutions from 2006 to 2010, imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Including embargoes on related materials, technology and equipment; Freezing the assets of relevant persons and companies; Impose travel restrictions on relevant personnel, etc. In addition, the Security Council also banned Iran from exporting weapons; Prohibit Iran from participating in nuclear investment activities abroad; Prohibit countries from exporting heavy weapons and equipment to Iran; It is forbidden for countries to conduct financial transactions related to nuclear activities with Iran. In addition, the United States and the European Union have also imposed separate sanctions on Iran's energy, finance and other fields.
How will the reinstatement of sanctions affect the situation in Iran and the region?
Experts said that the actual negative impact of the resumption of relevant sanctions on Iran is limited, but it means that the attitude of European countries towards Iran has changed, and its far-reaching impact cannot be ignored.
After the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has become the world’s second-most sanctioned country. Iran’s normal exchanges with European countries are also affected due to U.S. sanctions and blockade. So whether European countries introduce so-called rapid sanctions measures, the actual negative impact on Iran is not fundamental.
Previously, Iran believed that European countries did not fall to either side. However, as European countries restart relevant sanctions, in Iran's view, European countries will gradually turn to the United States and will introduce more sanctions against Iran in the future. I'm afraid this will have a huge negative impact on the future fate of the Iranian nuclear agreement, the relationship between Iran and European countries, and even the geopolitics of the entire Middle East.
Director Tang Yi
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Editor Yang Boren