Iran warns EU, E3 against sanctions, citing potential snapback

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday warned European powers and the EU against any attempt to trigger the “snapback mechanism” under the 2015 nuclear accord, the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Araghchi delivered the warning in a call with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, according to the ministry.

He said the “European troika as well as the European Union lack both the legal and moral right to resort to this mechanism.”

“While the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken decisive actions in self-defense, it has consistently pursued diplomatic avenues and remains open to any diplomatic solution that safeguards the rights and interests of the Iranian people,” he added.

On the European proposal to extend UN Security Council Resolution 2231 to buy more time for diplomacy, Araghchi said: “The UN Security Council must decide in this regard. Iran has its principled stance on the issue but will not be involved in the process.”

He said Tehran would “consult and exchange views with its friends in the Security Council regarding the consequences of such an action.”

The three European ministers and the EU’s foreign policy chief “once again emphasized the readiness of the European countries to find a diplomatic solution,” the ministry added.

It was agreed that deputy foreign ministers from Iran, the three European countries, and the EU will hold follow-up talks next Tuesday, the statement said.

The UK, France, and Germany, known as the E3, were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) alongside the US, China, and Russia. The accord limited Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. But US President Donald Trump pulled Washington, DC, out of the deal in 2018 and reinstated sweeping sanctions.

The agreement includes a “snapback” clause allowing signatories to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if it is deemed in violation.

Tensions escalated in June when Israel launched a surprise attack on Tehran on June 13, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. The 12-day conflict ended under a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24.

Last month, the E3 and the EU also held nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul.

On Monday, Iran said a new round of discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will begin in the coming days. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters the talks would likely follow a visit by IAEA Deputy Director General Massimo Aparo to Tehran last week.

Baqaei said Aparo’s trip was intended to “examine how Iran and the agency interacted” after US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.