UN to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran, Tehran Warns of Strong Response
The UN sanctions against Iran came back into effect on Saturday evening, September 27. Western countries accused Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear agreement aimed at preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran warned that it would respond strongly.
According to Reuters, the nuclear deal reached in 2015 between Iran and the UK, Germany, France, the US, Russia, and China is now effectively dead. This development could escalate tensions in the Middle East. Just months ago, Israel and the US had bombed Iran's nuclear facilities.
However, Iranian President Pezeshkian told reporters before leaving New York on Friday, saying that the situation should be kept calm, "it's not the end of the world."
Efforts to delay the reimposition of sanctions during the UN General Assembly this week failed. These sanctions were initially adopted by the Security Council between 2006 and 2010 and will be restored at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday (midnight GMT on Sunday). A month ago, the UK, France, and Germany (E3) launched what they called a "fast-track recovery mechanism," accusing Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran insisted it has no intention of seeking nuclear weapons.
European countries had proposed that if Iran allowed access for IAEA inspectors, resolved its uranium enrichment stockpile issue, and engaged in dialogue with the US, the sanctions could be delayed for six months. However, this proposal was not implemented.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Alireza Zakani, wrote on the social media platform X: "Over the past few days and weeks, Iran has proposed several suggestions to maintain the diplomatic window, but E3 did not respond, while the US escalated its unilateral demands."
The EU's related sanctions are expected to be restored next week.
Recalling Ambassadors to the Three European Countries
Tehran warned of a strong response. However, President Pezeshkian emphasized on Friday that Iran has no intention of withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. On Saturday, Iran announced the recall of its ambassadors to the UK, France, and Germany as a protest.
Since 2018, when US President Trump exited the nuclear deal during his first term and re-imposed pressure, Iran's economy has been in trouble due to sanctions. On Saturday, under the expectation of new sanctions, the Iranian rial further depreciated, with the exchange rate falling to 112.3 million rials per dollar, a new historical low, while it was around 108.5 million rials on Friday.
Under the new sanctions, Iran will again face an arms embargo and be prohibited from any uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, as well as any activities related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, including testing.
Other sanction measures include travel bans on dozens of Iranian individuals, freezing assets of individuals and entities, and prohibiting the provision of any materials for nuclear projects to Iran.
Additionally, all countries are authorized to seize and dispose of embargoed goods within the scope of UN sanctions. Iran will also be banned from participating in any commercial activities related to uranium mining, production or use of nuclear materials in other countries.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844464920334345/
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