EU3 Measures Effectively Suspend Path of Iran’s Cooperation with IAEA: SNSC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that following the “ill-considered” moves taken by European countries against Tehran, the cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be suspended.
The SNSC said in a statement on Saturday that despite the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s cooperation with the IAEA and the presentation of plans to resolve the nuclear issue, the actions of European countries will effectively suspend the path of cooperation with the agency.
“Today, the Supreme National Security Council convened a meeting chaired by the president, and discussed and exchanged views on the situation in the region and the adventurisms of the Zionist regime, and emphasized that the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the current circumstances will be to cooperate as much as possible to establish peace and stability in the region,” the statement said.
The actions of some countries on the international stage, which were raised in the fields of military operations and sanctions, were also analyzed, it added.
“Among other things, the ill-considered actions of three European countries (the UK, France and Germany) on the Iranian nuclear issue were discussed and reviewed. Despite the cooperation of the (Iranian) Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the IAEA and the presentation of plans to resolve the issue, the actions of the European countries will effectively suspend the path of cooperation with the agency,” the SNSC stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also given the mission to continue its consultations within the framework of the decisions of the Supreme National Security Council to protect the country’s national interests, the statement went on to say.
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council voted not to permanently lift economic sanctions on Iran under Resolution 2231.
The resolution to block the sanctions fell by a vote of four to nine, meaning sanctions will return by September 28 if no significant deal is reached beforehand.
Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria voted to stop the sanctions from being reintroduced.
Nine UNSC members voted against sanctions relief –the US, Britain, France, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Denmark, Greece, Panama, and Somalia. Guyana and South Korea abstained.
The vote follows a 30-day process launched in late August by the UK, France and Germany, known as the EU3.
Iran has lashed out at the European troika for abusing the dispute mechanism contained in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which allows for the application of sanctions under a “snapback mechanism”.
