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FM lambasts US, E3 reimposition of int’l sanctions against Iran
Tehran recalls ambassadors from UK, France, Germany
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday lambasted the United States and the European powers for what he called “illegal and void” the reimposition of international sanctions against Iran, saying that the US betrayed diplomacy and the Europe buried it.
Araghchi made the remarks in a statement after the UN Security Council under pressure from the Western countries failed to adopt a resolution put forward by China and Russia to delay the return of international sanctions on Iran, which had been removed under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
On Friday, the US, the UK, France, Denmark, Greece, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia vetoed the draft measure that sought to delay the imposition of the coercive economic measures against Tehran for six months.
It came nearly one month after the three European parties to the nuclear agreement – Germany, France and Britain – triggered the so-called snapback mechanism which reimposes international sanctions against Iran.
“The so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism [now] remains in force, which will see sanctions re-imposed on Tehran this weekend, following the termination of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” according to the UN.
The measure will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures.
In an address to the Security Council, Araghchi noted how the Islamic Republic had invariably acted in full compliance of the nuclear deal, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the NPT’s Safeguards Agreement as verified in 15 International Atomic Energy Agency reports.
The compliance, he stated, has rendered all attempts at tarnishing Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program illegal.
False allegations
The foreign minister reminded that the US and the three European countries have been trying hard to bring pressure to bear on Iran over their false allegations concerning its nuclear program, despite their own numerous violations of either the nuclear accord or the international law to target the country.
He cited the US’s illegal and unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018, the E3’s breaking its promise of returning Washington to the accord, and the unlawful and unprovoked American attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June as some examples.
Accordingly, Araghchi described the push to return the Security Council’s sanctions as a “stark abuse of power.”
The Friday vetoes, cast in this context, are likewise “legally void, politically reckless, and procedurally flawed,” he added.
Additionally, the official underlined that October 18 would mark the automatic “Termination Day” under Resolution 2231, which has endorsed the nuclear agreement.
All nuclear-related restrictions “will end permanently” on that day, he added.
Araghchi, hence, called on the UN secretary-general “to avoid any attempt to revive sanctions-related mechanisms within the Secretariat.”
In his statement after the security council meeting, the Iranian foreign minister said, “Today’s crisis is the direct result of US withdrawal and Europe’s inaction. The US betrayed diplomacy. The E3 buried it.”
“For years, the US and the E3 misrepresented Iran’s peaceful program. They echoed Israel’s false claims — even as Israel maintains the region’s only nuclear arsenal, outside the NPT. The double standard is glaring.”
US, E3 want confrontation
Referring to the US and the E3 move to block the resolution proposed by Russia and China, the Iranian foreign minister said, “Their words and actions do not match. Their goal is confrontation, not dialogue.”
“Iran’s position on snapback is clear: it is illegal, void, and has no standing.”
The Iranian foreign minister underlined that the E3 which has breached the nuclear deal, cannot claim “significant non-performance.”
“Resolution 2231 restrictions will expire permanently on October 18, 2025. Any attempt to revive or extend them is null and void.”
The Iranian foreign minister also called on the UN chief to stay clear of any role in reviving expired sanctions.
“Those who pursue this unlawful path will bear full responsibility for damaging the UN’s credibility and for the humanitarian impact on the Iranian people,” Araghchi said.
“This dangerous precedent must not stand. If agreements can be broken at will, no nation can trust international commitments. If unlawful measures are enforced by power instead of law, the Security Council itself will lose authority.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned on Saturday the country’s ambassadors to three European countries for consultations following the irresponsible action of three European countries.
“Following the irresponsible action of three European countries in abusing the JCPOA dispute resolution mechanism to reinstate repealed UN Security Council resolutions, the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have been summoned to Tehran,” the ministry wrote in a statement.