Europeans have no grounds to trigger snapback mechanism: FM
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his European counterparts Friday they have no grounds for reactivating UN sanctions after they threatened to do so in coming months unless there is progress in nuclear talks.
"If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they (have) absolutely no moral (or) legal grounds," Araghchi said on X.
The remarks came after Araghchi held a conference call with his British, French and German counterparts and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The European diplomats told Araghchi of "their determination to use the 'snapback' mechanism – which allows for the reimposition of all international sanctions against Iran – in the absence of concrete progress" towards a new deal on Iran's nuclear program "by the end of the summer", the French Foreign Ministry said.
French officials have previously indicated that means by the end of August.
Last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Europeans would be "justified" in seeking a snapback of UN sanctions lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, later abandoned by US President Donald Trump.
"Without a firm, tangible, and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so no later than the end of August," he told reporters.
Iran and the United States held several rounds of nuclear negotiations through Omani mediators before Israel launched its 12-day war on June 13. Trump's decision to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities effectively ended the talks. The aggression against Iran claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Iranians, most of them civilians.
Iran-US talks
However, both Tehran and Washington have signaled willingness to return to the table, though Tehran has said it will not give up its right to the peaceful use of nuclear power.
“It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal -coordinated by EU in 2015- not Iran; and it was US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead, not Iran”, Araghchi told the European officials.
Araghchi said that "any new round of talks is only possible when the other side is ready for a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal."
Threat of sanctions does not help diplomacy
Last week, Araghchi told French newspaper Le Monde that, "The threat of sanctions does not help diplomacy."
Araghchi said triggering the "snapback" mechanism would have the same effect as a military attack.
“We support the constructive role of the three European countries in rebuilding the JCPOA (Iran 2015 nuclear deal), provided they avoid provocative and unconstructive actions such as threatening the "snapback" mechanism, which would have the same effect as a military attack”, Araghchi said.
The so-called snapback mechanism allows for the return of anti-Iran sanctions suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal, from which the US withdrew in 2018 and its European parties failed to fulfill their commitments under the deal.
But the deal expires in October giving the parties to it a fast looming deadline to invoke the clause.