The Trump administration boosted its unilateral sanctions against Iran as a UN embargo on arms trade with Tehran expired.
The UN arms embargo on Iran expired on October 18, freeing Iran to buy and sell conventional weapons. The Trump administration imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran, and Iran announced the construction of a new facility at Natanz to replace what was damaged during the July sabotage attack.
In this edition of our “Critical NPT Issues” webinar series, we will review the benefits of the JCPOA, the current status of noncompliance, pathways to repair the situation, and the potential effects on the upcoming NPT Review Conference.
The Trump administration has failed to win support for its effort to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.
The United Nations again dismissed U.S. efforts to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted as a result of the nuclear deal, and Secretary-General Guterres told the Security Council he would not take steps to implement those measures. Amid U.S. efforts to block Iranian arms sales, Iran announced two new missiles and Iranian President Rouhani criticized the U.S. sanctions regime against Iran.
A Sept. 4 IAEA report confirms that Iran continues to exceed limits on its uranium enrichment program imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal and is incrementally expanding its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 4.5 percent.
The most recent IAEA report on Iran’s safeguards confirmed that Iran and the agency are following through on the terms of an Aug. 26 agreement to finally allow inspectors access to follow up on evidence of possible undeclared nuclear materials and activities.
Iran’s UN ambassador sets out the case against U.S. actions in the Security Council.
The United States found nearly no support in its efforts to sanction Iran.
Iran, IAEA Reach Agreement
Attempting to unilaterally snapback sanctions would be a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration’s already irresponsible policy toward Iran that could have serious ramifications for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the future of the Security Council.
The UN Security Council rejected a U.S. resolution to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran. Iran demonstrated its new missile capability and Elliot Abrams as named the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, replacing Brian Hook.
Iran’s recent steps to breach the limits imposed on its nuclear program under the JCPOA have rekindled the debate about how quickly its nuclear program could “breakout,” or produce enough nuclear material for a bomb.
An explosion at Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility appears to have impacted the country’s nuclear program, but the IAEA said its safeguards activities at that site were unimpeded. The U.S. continues its push to extend the arms embargo on Iran at the UN Security Council, and Iran’s parliament has approved a plan to halt implementation of the additional protocol to the country’s safeguards agreement with the IAEA.