Washington [US], September 28: Iran issued the warning after the United Nations on September 27 restored an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran following a process initiated by three European countries.
Britain, France and Germany have launched a push to restore sanctions on Iran at the United Nations Security Council over Tehran's alleged violations of a 2015 nuclear deal aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.
The end of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is likely to increase tensions in the Middle East, just months after Israel and the US attacked Iran's nuclear sites, according to Reuters.
UN sanctions imposed by the Security Council in resolutions passed between 2006 and 2010 were restored at 8 p.m. on September 27 (US time). Efforts to delay the restoration of all sanctions on Iran failed on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly this week.
Tehran warned of a tough response, and recalled its ambassadors to Britain, France and Germany for consultations. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on September 26 that Tehran had no intention of leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to Reuters.
Reactions of Russia and the US
Russia has opposed the United Nations restoring sanctions on Iran. "It is illegal and impossible," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations on September 27, according to Reuters. The Russian foreign minister added that he had written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warning that Mr. Guterres's admission that the UN would restore sanctions on Iran would be "a big mistake."
The United Nations Security Council website was briefly updated on the evening of September 27 to show the restoration of sanctions on Iran, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and France called on Iran and all countries to fully comply with the restored sanctions, but stressed: "Our countries will continue to pursue diplomatic and negotiating paths. The re-imposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy."
After the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump has made clear that diplomacy remains an option for Iran and that a deal remains the best outcome for the Iranian people and the world. Mr. Rubio stressed that until there is a new deal, it is important for countries to implement sanctions "immediately" to pressure Iran's leaders to do what is right for their country and best for the safety of the world, according to Reuters.
How do sanctions affect Iran?
Iran's economy has been struggling under devastating sanctions reimposed by the US since 2018, after President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.
Iran's rial continued to fall amid concerns about new sanctions. The rial fell to a new record low of 1,123,000 rials to the dollar on September 27, down from about 1,085,000 rials to the dollar on September 26, according to foreign exchange websites.
With the restoration of UN sanctions, Iran will again be subject to an arms embargo and a ban on all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, as well as any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons .
Other sanctions to be reimposed include travel bans on dozens of Iranian individuals, asset freezes on dozens of Iranian individuals and entities, and a ban on the supply of anything that could be used in Tehran's nuclear program.
In addition, all countries will be allowed to seize and dispose of any items banned under UN sanctions, and Iran will be prohibited from acquiring shares in any commercial activity in another country involved in the exploration, production or use of nuclear materials and technology, according to Reuters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
