NEW YORK, 20 September 2020, (TON)  - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Saturday he cannot take any action on a US declaration asking the world organization to re-impose all UN because there would appear to be uncertainty on the issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Richard Pompeo said last month that he triggered a 30-day process at the council leading to the return of UN sanctions on Iran on Saturday evening that would also stop a conventional arms embargo on Tehran from expiring on 18 October 2020.

As per the detail, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres failed to honour US demand to punish Tehran because 13 out of the 15 Security Council members are of the opinion that Washington's move is void because Secretary of State Pompeo used a mechanism agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which the United States quit in 2018. The statement by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "It is not for the Secretary-General to proceed as if no such uncertainty exists” He clarified that "pending clarification" of the status of the Iran sanctions, he would not take any action to provide that support.