‘France, Britain abdicating duty on Iran’

WASHINGTON: The US accused China and allies Britain and France on Friday of "abdicating their duty" as it held firm on its solitary push to maintain an arms embargo and restore broader UN sanctions on Iran.

"We don’t need anybody’s permission to initiate snapback," Brian Hook, the State Department’s Special Representative for Iran, told reporters, referring to the mechanism activated by Washington on Thursday to restore sanctions.

"Iran is in violation of its voluntary nuclear commitments. The conditions have been met to initiate snapback."