EU3 Pressed by US, Israel to Trigger Snapback against Iran: Spokesman

In comments at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, Baqaei questioned the legitimacy of the European troika’s decision to trigger the snapback mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal, saying, “They accuse Iran of failing to fulfill its obligations, but this claim is made in bad faith. The parties who have neglected their own commitments are in no position to blame Iran. Iran’s actions were completely legal and in accordance with the JCPOA, yet the Europeans acted knowing they lack legal authority.”

Baqaei criticized the European Union and the three countries, which had previously served as intermediaries leading to the JCPOA, for diminishing their role to merely facilitating talks between Iran and the US.

He described a recent statement by the US Secretary of State as revealing, portraying the Europeans’ actions as following instructions from the US president. “Reports indicate that the three European states began the process of reimposing sanctions at the request of the Zionist regime and the US,” he said.

Commenting on the US’ readiness to negotiate with Iran amid intensifying pressure, Baqaei said, “Setting such conditions is fundamentally a sign of bad faith in diplomatic engagement. Regarding the United States, we must acknowledge the reality that we have been targeted in the middle of negotiations.”

He added that over the past decade, the US has repeatedly disrupted diplomatic processes.

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA without justification, and most recently, the Israeli regime -with US support- attacked Iran during ongoing diplomatic talks, showing that the US had no sincere intentions from the outset, Baqaei added.

He noted that the US’ support for the European troika’s actions demonstrates that from the very beginning, the new US administration’s plan was to undermine the JCPOA and impose illegal pressure on Iran.

Asked about the claims from the German foreign minister and the 30-day negotiation deadline, Baqaei said, “Diplomacy is not a game of ball. They pretend to be credible and act in good faith, but what the Europeans need is to strengthen moral courage and responsibility to play a positive and constructive role in diplomatic processes.”

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.