Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said the U.S. will begin the process of launching snapback sanctions on Iran “soon” after the United Nations Security Council rejected an American effort to extend an arms embargo on Tehran.
Mr. Pompeo is expected to issue a formal complaint to the 15-member council that says Iran has engaged in “significant non-compliance” with an Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement in an effort to reignite a slew of sanctions on the country.
He said he does not have “any announcement on timing” but “we’re going to do that soon,” referencing a visit to the UN headquarters in New York to begin the process.
U.S. officials over the last several weeks urged allies to vote to extend the long-standing arms embargo — that was established under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the Trump administration withdrew from three years later.
The White House warned that ending the embargo would be disastrous for the Middle East and for U.S. national security because it would give Tehran sudden access to a buffet of Chinese and Russian-made weapons previously acquirable only through nefarious channels.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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