Trump is threatening to snapback Iran sanctions because his supporters are terrified of a Biden win

Faced with the prospect of a likely defeat in November, says Borzou Daragahi, the administration is desperately seeking to sabotage the remnants of the Iran nuclear deal

Mike Pompeo has argued Iran could pose a threat to Europe (AFP via Getty)

Many nations have doubts about the expiring United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Iran. It is set to be lifted in October as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed by Tehran and other world powers – a deal that Donald Trump’s administration has actively tried to sabotage since coming to power.

On Friday, Trump’s enforcers at the UN sought to extend the arms embargo but failed miserably. Now wait for the Trump administration’s attempt to use a provision of the same JCPOA it flamboyantly renounced more than two years ago to either get the arms embargo extended or else do serious damage to the Security Council.

In Friday’s vote at the UN, veto-wielding Russia and China predictably voted no. But 11 members of the Security Council, including permanent members Britain and France and Nato members Germany, Belgium and Estonia, abstained.