Active diplomacy, stronger ties with East, Iran’s response to snapback
By Rouhollah Lak-Aliabadi
Iranian lawmaker
In recent weeks, the debate over the return of UN sanctions on Iran via the so-called snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and its potential consequences has become one of the most widely discussed issues in Iranian media. Some argue the move will have little impact, offering various justifications, while others have tended to blow it out of proportion.
To claim that the instigation of snapback will have no consequences at all would be misleading, since such a stance would effectively undermine the very purpose of the JCPOA. That agreement was designed to suspend or annul six United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran. If those resolutions had posed no difficulties, there would have been no need for such lengthy negotiations in the first place.
At the same time, the impact of snapback should not be exaggerated either. Suggestions that the return of these resolutions would spell national collapse are clear examples of doom-mongering. Such exaggeration, especially when adversaries harbor hostile and aggressive intentions, is tantamount to playing into the enemy’s hands and only helps them achieve their goals.
Iran’s current situation is undeniably difficult as the country faces sweeping unilateral sanctions from the United States and the West. In these circumstances, the activation of the snapback mechanism could well intensify existing pressure. This makes it all the more important to act wisely. In tough times, tough decisions must be made. The behavior, actions and language of officials should avoid fueling an adverse psychological climate at home.
As Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei recently reminded the government, Iran finds itself in a state of “neither war nor peace.” In such conditions, sowing despair among the public must be avoided. Anxiety about the country’s future is already hampering investment. Overstating problems only clouds the atmosphere further and risks spreading a deeper sense of hopelessness.
Officials have a duty to speak honestly. Snapback will undoubtedly bring negative consequences, but they must not be overstated. Sometimes political and media figures lay it on thick when discussing sanctions; others, conversely, dismiss them as meaningless. Neither extreme is accurate or logical.
Page 3