Riyadh Welcomes US Decision To Reinstate Sanctions Related To Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) Saudi Arabia welcomes the United States' decision to end its sanctions waiver related to Iranian nuclear facility Fordow in the wake of Tehran's decision to resume uranium enrichment there, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Uranium enrichment at Fordow had been ceased for years before November 7 when Tehran announced the resumption of the activities that it pledged to end under the Iran nuclear deal. The multilateral agreement, which stipulates the termination of international sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran keeping its nuclear program peaceful, was abandoned by the United States in 2018 at harsh criticism of Tehran and the international community.

"A source in the [Saudi] Foreign Ministry says that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes and expresses its satisfaction in relation with the United States' decision on terminating a sanctions waiver for Iran's Fordow nuclear site beginning on December 15, 2019," the ministry wrote on Twitter.

The United States' decision to terminate the sanctions waiver for Fordow was announced by State Secretary Mike Pompeo on Monday. Pompeo added that Iran should reverse its enrichment activity at the nuclear facility immediately. The United States rejected Iran's nuclear extortion approach and called on the international community to do the same, the top diplomat then insisted.

The decision was slammed by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani as a mistake and a violation of international law. Moscow agreed, too, that the move was a breach of international obligations by the United States.

Iran began to gradually reduce its obligations under the nuclear deal last May.