GOP Senators Welcome Return of Iran Snapback Sanctions
Fifty Republican senators led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, sent a joint letter to British, French and German officials Sept. 16 praising their countries’ recent decision to reimpose U.N. “snapback” sanctions over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
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“Once snapback is completed, we look forward to working with you to ensure all UN member states and private actors abide by their renewed obligations and hold Iran accountable,” the senators wrote.
The letter urges the European countries to avoid allowing “hollow gestures and cynical threats from Tehran to stop the snapback process,” a tactic the senators said Iran has used for years to avoid penalties. While backing diplomacy to restore Iran’s compliance with its nuclear commitments, the senators believe that “sanctions relief should only be negotiated after snapback is fully implemented.” They seek to end Iran’s nuclear program, as well as its ballistic missile efforts and its support for terrorist proxies.
The letter also calls for continuing to curb Iran’s oil exports, particularly to China, and closing Iran’s banking sector abroad, including all branches in Europe. “More pressure is necessary to ultimately bring Iran back to meaningful and serious diplomatic engagement on the full spectrum of its malign activities,” the senators wrote.
The letter, whose signatories include Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was addressed to French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul and U.K. foreign secretary Yvette Cooper. France, Germany and the U.K. announced their sanctions decision in late August, citing Iran's "significant non-performance of its commitments" under a 2015 nuclear deal (see 2508280033).