'France, Germany, UK won't back US' bid to reimpose sanctions on Iran'

London, Aug 21 (IANS): In a joint statement, France, Germany and the UK said that they will not support the US in seeking to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

The US sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Thursday requesting to initiate the "snapback" mechanism, which allows a participant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) to the reimposition of the multilateral sanctions against Iran which were lifted in 2015 in accordance with Resolution 2231, reports Xinhua news agency.

In response, the countries in the joint statement said on Thursday: "The US ceased to be a participant to the JCPoA following their withdrawal from the deal on May 8, 2018... We cannot therefore support this action which is incompatible with our current efforts to support the JCPoA."

France, Germany and the UK said they "are committed to preserving the processes and institutions which constitute the foundation of multi-lateralism".

"We remain guided by the objective of upholding the authority and integrity of the UN Security Council. We call on all UN Security Council members to refrain from any action that would only deepen divisions in the Security Council or that would have serious adverse consequences on its work."

The three countries further said they "believe that we should address the current issue of systematic Iranian non-compliance with its JCPoA obligations through dialogue between JCPoA participants, including through the Joint Commission and use of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism".

In order to preserve the agreement, they urged Iran "to reverse all measures inconsistent with its nuclear commitments and return to full compliance without delay".

The three countries also pledged to continue to work with all UN Security Council members and stakeholders to seek a path forward that preserves space for further diplomacy.

"Our efforts will be guided by the need to uphold the authority and integrity of the UN Security Council and to advance regional security and stability," they noted in the statement.

The JCPoA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was in July 2015 between the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US.

However, US President Donald Trump, withdrew from the deal on May 8, 2018, and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, despite objections from the international community.

A year after the US unilateral exit, Iran stopped implementing some of its commitments under the deal and set a 60-day deadline for the Europeans to help the Islamic republic reap the economic benefits of the deal.

Thursday's statement came after the US' draft resolution failed to get the required nine votes in favour at the UN Security Council on August 14 to extend the arms embargo against Iran.