Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein and ZOA Chair Mark Levenson, Esq. released the following statement:

The ZOA strongly praises President Donald Trump’s announcement yesterday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the United Nations today to start the 30-day process to reimpose (“snapback”) international sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. ZOA also praises Secretary Pompeo’s announcement that the U.S. will impose sanctions on any nation – including Russia and China – that opposes the snapback of United Nations sanctions. (See video at “Pompeo Vows U.S. Will Sanction Russia, China if They Oppose Trump’s ‘Snapback’ of UN’s Iran Sanctions,” Fox News, Aug. 19, 2020.)

As Secretary Pompeo stated, as a result of the snapback of sanctions in 30 days, “The world will be a safer place. The Iranians won’t have the chance to have Russian air defenses, some Chinese tanks – all of the things that pose risks and instability in the Middle East. The Gulf states are all excited about it. Israel is excited about it. It will reduce their risk and it’ll make Americans safer too.”

ZOA also condemns former Secretary of State John Kerry for falsely stating at the Democratic National Convention yesterday that the Obama-Biden Iran deal “eliminated the threat of an Iran with a nuclear weapon.” The Iran deal in fact provided $150 billion to Iran only slowing down its nuclear and terror activities; placed roadblocks including lengthy delays on the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)’s ability to inspect suspected Iranian nuclear facilities; provided expiration dates on the restrictions on Iran that we are now running up against; permitted Iran to continue industrial-scale enrichment and advanced centrifuge development activities; suspended the sanctions regime; and paved Iran’s way to developing a nuclear bomb. (Also see ZOA’s discussions of: Expert General Rapporteur of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee, African-American Congressman David Scott’s opposition to the Iran deal; the JCPOA’s repeated use of the term “voluntary measures”; the secret side deals that Obama, Biden and Kerry failed to report to Congress and the American people, that govern the inspection of Iran’s key Parchin military complex, which included permitting Iran to collect its own soil samples.)

Background on Snapback Sanctions:

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (July 20, 2015), passed shortly after the Iran deal was negotiated, terminated international sanctions that were imposed on Iran under a series of previous UN Security Council Resolutions: 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), 1929 (2010), and 2224 (2015), discussed below, with the proviso that all these UN sanctions could be “snapped back” after a 30-day notification period, upon notification by an Iran deal participant nation of an issue that the Iran deal participant nation “believes constitutes significant non-performance of commitments under the [Iran deal].”

Iran has indeed violated its commitments under the Iran deal. For instance, as the IAEA confirmed, Iran has greatly exceeded allowable enriched uranium stockpile limits – accumulating enough uranium to produce a nuclear bomb if the uranium is enriched to weapons grade; exceeded allowable uranium concentration limits, thus hastening Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb (¶C.3.24); “manufacture[d] centrifuges . . . for activities beyond those specified in the JCPOA [Iran deal]” (¶C.3.24); and exceeded the allowable cap on Iran’s stock of heavy water (¶C.1.10). In addition, the IAEA “detected natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin [man-made activity, such as enrichment or weapons activity] in Iran not declared to the [IAEA]” (¶E.32) – indicating possible Iranian nuclear activities at undisclosed, clandestine locations… (See ZOA’s summary of the IAEA’s March 3, 2020 quarterly report.) The IAEA’s most recent June 5, 2020 quarterly report reveals that Iran’s violations have all continued. (See ¶¶C.1.11; C.2.13, C.3.25, C.4.27-29, E.33.)

Moreover, back in 2017, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency bragged that Iran can begin enriching uranium to 20% within 5 days; that Iran only poured cement into easily replaceable external pipes of its Arak facility and left the core intact; that Russia was constructing two new nuclear reactors for Iran at Bushehr; and that Iran was making “great strides” regarding nuclear fuel.  

These international sanctions mandated under the following resolutions should “snap back,” thanks to the Trump administration:

• S/C Res. 1696 (2006)demanded that “Iran shall suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA,” and called upon all nations to “prevent the transfer of any items, materials, goods, and technology that could contribute to Iran’s enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and ballistic missile programmes.”

• S/C Res. 1737 (2006)established a Security Council sanctions committee; and imposed additional sanctions on Iran for violating S/C Res. 1696 (2006) by failing to stop its uranium enrichment program, including banning supplying nuclear-related technology, financing, training and materials to Iran; and assets freezes on key individuals and companies related to the enrichment program.

• S/C Res. 1747 (2007)imposed a two-way arms embargo on Iran, and enhanced the previous asset freeze. 

• S/C Res. 1803 (2008)required Iran to cease and desist from any and all uranium enrichment, and to stop any research and development associated with centrifuges and uranium enrichment; expanded sanctions imposed by S/C Res. 1737 (2006) to additional individuals and companies; and called for vigilance over activities of Iranian banks and financial commitments; among other sanctions.

• S/C Res. 1835 (2008) again called upon Iran “to comply fully and without delay with its obligations” under the prior Security Council and to meet IAEA requirements. 

• S/C Res. 1929 (2010)established a Panel of Experts to assist the Security Council sanctions committee established by S/C Res. 1737 (2006); noted that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was involved in nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons delivery systems; and violating prior sanctions resolutions and IAEA obligations, including enriching uranium to 20% and establishing undisclosed enrichment facilities. The resolution forbade Iran from any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and required nations to take all necessary measure to prevent the transfer of related technology or technical assistance. The resolution also prohibited Iran from acquiring an interest in any uranium mining, production or use of nuclear materials and technology (including uranium enrichment and reprocessing, all heavy-water activities, and technology related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons). The resolution further prohibited nations from directly or indirectly supplying, selling, or transferring to Iran “heavy conventional weapons such as battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems . . . including . . . technical or financial assistance for such systems, or spare parts”; called for nations to inspect vessels suspected of carrying prohibited cargo to Iran, and to seize and dispose of prohibited items; required nations to make sure that business activities did not contribute to Iran’s proliferation; called for nations to report efforts to evade sanctions; prohibited new banking relationships with Iran if there is a suspected link to proliferation; extended a travel ban to include certain high profile IRGC commanders; and more.

• S/C Res. 2224 (2015)extended the Panel of Experts’ mandate.