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2.6​ ​Britain, France, Germany ‘won’t back US plan for snapback of all UN sanctions on Iran’
Britain, France and Germany said on June 19 that they would not support an attempt by the US to unilaterally trigger the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran. ​However, they added that they proposed to enter into talks with Tehran over its ongoing violations of the nuclear deal.
Under Iran’s deal with six world powers (formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) to introduce verified restrictions on the Iranian nuclear development programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, a UN embargo on arms sales to the Islamic Republic is due to expire in October. The US, which exited the nuclear deal in May 2018 demanding a tougher agreement be struck in its place, has insisted that the embargo is extended. Washington said it would trigger the snapback of all UN sanctions on Iran, using a process outlined in the nuclear deal, if the extension is not introduced. However, JCPOA signatory Russia and the EU have said that that is not possible as the US is no longer signed up to the deal.
“We firmly believe that any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snapback would have serious adverse consequences in the UN Security Council,” the foreign ministers of the three European countries (E3) said in a statement. “We would not support such a decision, which would be incompatible with our current efforts to preserve the JCPOA,” they said after discussing Iran in Berlin.
European diplomats are working on a compromise, but it is very uncertain that they will be able to meet the demands of the US, as well as Russia and China, another JCPOA signatory.
“We believe that the planned lifting of the UN conventional arms embargo... would have major implications for regional security and stability,” the E3 also said, adding that it was working in coordination with China and Russia on the issue.
Urging Iran to enter into a ministerial meeting, the E3 ministers said: “We remain committed to the JCPOA and, in order to preserve it, urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the agreement and return to full compliance without delay.”
The Iranians have been gradually scaling up their non-compliance with the nuclear deal in order to pressure the E3 to provide meaningful economic assistance to assist Iran in the face of crushing US sanctions.
2.7 ​Polls & Sociology
Risk analysis identifies Turkey, Iran and Russia among 37 nations likely to face mass ‘post-Covid’ protests
Turkey, Iran and Russia are among 37 emerging and frontier market countries likely to face mass protests in the coming months as restrictions imposed to control the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are increasingly lifted and the huge economic impact of the crisis is realised, according to​ ​new research​ f​ rom a global risk analysis company.
“The total number of protests in frontier and emerging markets has almost rebounded to pre-pandemic levels,” said Verisk Maplecroft principal analyst
9​ IRAN Country Report August 2020 www.intellinews.com