Iranian FM Urges UNSC to Stop EU3’s Unlawful Snapback Drive
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi urged the UN Security Council to stop the European troika’s reckless attempt to invoke snapback mechanism, warning that the move undermines diplomacy and the JCPOA while threatening the credibility of the Council itself.
“Acting on behalf of Israel and the US, the E3 have decided to maliciously pursue pressure on the Iranian people. This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful,” Araqchi said in a post in his X account on Friday.
“Iran has cautioned that having been left out by the U.S. on all global issues—even Ukraine on their own doorstep—Europe should not deceive itself about ‘snapback’ being leverage for it to play a role in at least one arena. Iran has made clear how pursuing that path will turn the E3 into a permanently spent force,” he added.
“Disturbingly, the European troika is now framing its reckless gambit as an endeavour to ‘advance diplomacy’,” Araqchi said.
“I have personally led talks with the US over the past two decades. My country has been engaged in five rounds of nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration this year. On the eve of a sixth round of talks, Iran was bombed. First by Israel, and then by the United States. It is repugnant for Europe to now accuse Iran of having left the table and spurning dialogue. The reality is that we are at a point where the West cannot even guarantee that it will cease further unlawful military strikes on my people while negotiations are held,” the foreign minister stated.
“The actions of the European troika effectively reward the offender and punish the victim. It was the United States, not Iran, that unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. It was Europe, not Iran, that failed to fulfil its commitments to mitigate the economic impact of the US withdrawal. It was also Europe, not Iran, that not only failed to implement their commitments on Transition Day (Oct. 2023), but also imposed new illegal sanctions on Iranian civil aviation and shipping,” he added.
“As I have made abundantly clear, the E3's decision will have significant adverse impacts on diplomacy. It will severely undermine the ongoing dialogue between Iran and the IAEA. It will also compel an appropriate response,” Araqchi warned.
“The path chosen by Europe, if not curbed, will additionally have severe consequences for the credibility of the UN Security Council. Invoking the so-called snapback mechanism without due process or a legal basis not only undermines confidence in the Council’s decisions, but also endangers international peace and security. It is high time for the Council—and the world—to step up and say: ‘ENOUGH’,” he concluded.
In a new escalation, the European troika of the UK, France, and Germany (EU3) has formally sent a letter to the UN Security Council announcing the activation of the so-called snapback mechanism, a step that seeks to re-impose international sanctions on Iran. The announcement marks the most serious move yet by the three European states against Tehran since the US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018.
Iranian officials have denounced the measure as illegal and politically motivated, stressing that Europe has no standing to invoke snapback after failing to fulfill its own commitments under the nuclear deal. Tehran has warned that such a step will compel a decisive reciprocal response, undermine cooperation with the IAEA, and severely damage the credibility of the Security Council itself.
