Iran urges UN intervention as UK, France, Germany invoke snapback mechanism

Iran has firmly rejected the alleged reinstatement of terminated sanctions by Britain, France and Germany under United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 as null and void, and urged the UN to halt the reimposition by the trio and the United States.

Speaking to the media after his return to Tehran on Saturday from the UN General Assembly meetings, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian noted Europeans were making various excuses due to pressure from the US. He said they were ignoring Iran's decision to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit Iran's nuclear facilities and its readiness to clarify on enriched uranium, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

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In his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, Pezeshkian stressed that Iran has upheld its commitments, terming renewed sanctions under snapback mechanisms "illegal and unethical".

Pezeshkian also urged the UN chief to use his capacities to prevent the reactivation of sanctions.

On Sunday, the European countries sent a letter to the UN Security Council stating their stance. In their joint statement, their foreign ministers said it is "due to Iran's persistent and significant nonperformance of its JCPOA commitments that we triggered the snapback mechanism "that day.

It came after the UN Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution that would have extended the 2015 Iran nuclear deal for six months to allow time for diplomacy.

Also on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, said the notification submitted by the three European countries "was legally and procedurally flawed and is therefore null and void".

The E3 acted while refusing to uphold their own obligations, "failed to exhaust the Dispute Resolution Mechanism of the JCPOA, actively undermined resolution 2231 (2015) by demanding arrangements beyond its scope, and even justified military attacks against Iran's IAEA-safeguarded facilities".

"Their invocation of the so-called snapback mechanism is a clear abuse of process. Attempts to revive terminated resolutions are not only legally baseless but also politically and morally unjustified," Araghchi said in his letter. He said Iran will not recognize any attempt to revive or extend restrictions after Oct 18.

JCPOA under strain

Last month, the three European powers invoked the snapback clause of the JCPOA, restoring UN sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for limits on Tehran's nuclear program.

Ahead of the measures taking effect, Iran recalled its ambassadors to the three capitals.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers, has been under strain since Washington withdrew in 2018, prompting Tehran to gradually scale back compliance.

Abdolreza Alami, senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, and director of Asia West East Centre, told China Daily, "The E3 has violated two fundamental principles of international law by bypassing the Dispute Resolution Mechanism outlined in Resolution 2231 and referring directly to the Security Council."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the E3 attempts are legally invalid. She characterized these efforts as a form of double-dealing, saying that all sanctions imposed by these countries lack legal validity, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Friday that China is committed to the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means and is opposed to the threat of force, sanctions and pressure.

Triggering the UN Security Council "snapback" mechanism is not a constructive move and it will not help rebuild trust and bridge differences, he said.

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"The pressing priority now is to step up diplomatic efforts and avoid escalation. China will continue to promote talks for peace and play a constructive role for a solution that accommodates the legitimate concerns of all parties," he added.

Foad Izadi, associate professor at the University of Tehran's Faculty of World Studies, said the claim that the Europeans have that they can use a snapback to sanction Iran "is not true" and is just "a claim not substantiated".

Alami in Malaysia warned that the European action goes beyond mere nuclear concerns and should be linked to the overall conflict between the West and Iran, as well as regional issues.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com