Russia: US has no legal, political grounds for reimposing Iran sanctions

Russia’s deputy foreign minister told Russian media on Thursday that the U.S. has no legal or political grounds to restore sanctions on Iran, Reuters reported.

Sergei Ryabkov reportedly said that the move announced by President Trump on Wednesday would result in a crisis in the United Nations Security Council, which was overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S.’s resolution to extend the arms embargo last week. The resolution had been expected to fail because Russia and China, which hold veto power in the Security Council, opposed the measure.

Trump announced on Wednesday that he would notify the U.N. of plans to restore “virtually” all sanctions on Iran.

His announcement came after the Security Council rejected an effort by the United States to extend a weapons embargo on Iran last Friday.

Trump then said on Saturday that snapback sanctions could come as soon as this week. 

The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary Mike Pompeo would travel to the U.N. in New York City between Aug. 20 and 21 to notify the body that the United States would begin the process of restoring sanctions on Iran.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated since Trump pulled out of the Obama-era nuclear deal that called for Iran to reduce its uranium stockpile in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions.

The tensions came to a boiling point in January when a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at an Iraqi base housing U.S. forces.