Russia rejects US plan to restore UN sanctions on Iran

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia rejected US plans to restore UN sanctions on Iran as “nonexistent,” saying only a country that remains in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal can trigger the return of the sanctions in a process known informally as “snapback.” “We will not take it as snapback,” Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters, rejecting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s expected announcement. “He’s not triggering a snapback. Snapback can be triggered by a country that is a participant of the JCPOA, which the US is not,” he said, referring to the Iran nuclear deal by its formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).