Tehran- Iran said Sunday its arch-foe the United States was “isolated” after a US unilateral declaration that UN sanctions are back in force against the Islamic republic was dismissed by other major powers. The Trump administration said the so-called “snapback” of the sanctions was in effect and threatened to “impose consequences” on any UN member state that fails to comply. “The United States is very, very isolated in its claims,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said. “The whole world is saying nothing has changed.” The sanctions in question were lifted in 2015 when Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US -- reached a landmark nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, saying the deal -- negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama -- was insufficient. He also renewed and even strengthened Washington’s own sanctions. The US insists it is still a participant in the agreement that it stormed out of, but only so it can activate the snapback option, which it announced on August 20. Virtually every other Security Council member disputes Washington’s ability to execute this legal pirouette, and the UN body has not taken the measure any further. On Sunday, two permanent council members  France and Britain  issued a joint statement along with non-permanent member Germany saying the US’s “purported notification” was “incapable of having any legal effect”. Russia also said the US lacked legal authority. “The illegitimate initiatives and actions of the United States by definition cannot have international legal consequences for other countries,” said its foreign ministry.