Trump administration to accuse Iran of chemical weapons violations: report

The Trump administration reportedly intends to accuse Iran of violating an international treaty that bars the use of chemical weapons because it has maintained the facilities and equipment needed to produce such weapons.

CNN and The Washington Free Beacon reported that the White House told lawmakers on Friday that the administration plans to accuse Iran of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention. The 1997 treaty bars the production and use of chemical weapons.

The claim will not lead to immediate repercussions, CNN reported, but could provide justification for the U.S. to implement additional penalties or seek action with international organizations.

{mosads}The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has taken a hard-line stance toward Iran, reimposing sanctions in recent months that had been lifted under the Obama-era Iran nuclear pact. That agreement offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.

The president’s decision to pull out of the deal, despite international allies urging him not to, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran.

France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union, all of which remained in the deal, have sought to skirt U.S. sanctions reimposed after Trump’s withdrawal from the pact.

Earlier this month, the administration reimposed the last set of oil and gas sanctions on Iran in an effort to further stifle the Iranian economy. 

National security adviser John Bolton warned a short time later that the administration had additional penalties planned beyond those lifted under the nuclear pact.