WASHINGTON: Tehran has rebuked Washington’s decision to unilaterallyreimpose UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic, predicting that the movewill damage the US’ standing in the international community.

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations, issued ascathing retort to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement late onSaturday that Washington intends to reintroduce most of the UN sanctionsagainst Tehran lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA) was aimed at placingrestrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Itwas signed by Iran, the US, Russia, China, the UK, Germany and France.

Noting that the United States is no longer a signatory, the Iraniandiplomat argued that Washington’s claim of “snapback” sanctions under theJCPOA is “null & void.” In a tweet, he described the US’ self-declared‘deadline’ for triggering the sanctions as “illegal & false,” noting thatby acting alone Washington was “swimming against [international] currents”and risking “more isolation” on the global stage.