WASHINGTON (U.S. Department of State press service) — The United States imposed additional sanctions on Iran yesterday, after the Trump administration declared last weekend that all U.N. sanctions had been eased as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The announcement came in defiance of nearly all U.N. members, including U.S. allies in Europe, who have rejected U.S. legal standing to impose the international sanctions. It set the stage for a showdown at the annual U.N. General Assembly this week and also came as President Donald Trump seeks to portray himself as a champion for Middle East stability ahead of November’s election.

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft, and National Secretary Advisor Robert O’Brien delivered remarks to the media on Iran Snapback Sanctions, at the Department of State: