Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused US' European allies of siding with the ayatollahs after he initiated the controversial UN sanctions on Tehran, BBC reported.

The UK, France, and Germany have said the US has no legal right to initiate sanctions re-establishment because it withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018.

"No country but the United States has had the courage and conviction to put forward a resolution. Instead, they chose to side with the ayatollahs," Mr. Pompeo said.

Pompeo said it was an 'enormous mistake' not to extend the arms embargo to Iran, adding that the US would never allow Iran to freely buy and sell conventional weapons.

Earlier, the UK, France, and Germany said they would not support US actions to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, noting that these actions are incompatible with efforts to support Iran's nuclear deal.