Tehran, Sep 28: Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday strongly rejected the move by France, Britain, Germany (E3), and the United States to reinstate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on Tehran, calling the action “illegal and unjustified.”
The statement came hours after UN sanctions, lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), were reimposed. The 2015 deal, endorsed by UNSC Resolution 2231, had terminated earlier sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran stressed that it “rejects the claim” of reinstatement, insisting that the resolutions were annulled in 2015 and no longer carry legal obligations. The ministry urged all countries to avoid recognizing what it described as an “illegal situation” contradicting Resolution 2231. It accused the E3 and Washington of “abusing” both the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism and UNSC procedures.
Reaffirming its stance, Tehran vowed to defend its rights and national interests, warning that any action undermining those interests “will be met with an appropriate and resolute response.”
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi argued that invoking the “snapback” mechanism was a “clear abuse of process.” The snapback allows sanctions to be restored within 30 days if Iran is deemed non-compliant with the JCPOA.
The E3 invoked the mechanism last month, following disputes over Iran’s nuclear activities. On September 19, the UNSC failed to adopt a resolution extending sanctions relief. A subsequent proposal for a six-month extension of both the JCPOA framework and Resolution 2231 also failed to pass on Friday.
With no agreement reached, UN sanctions were officially reinstated on Saturday evening, marking a major escalation in tensions over the future of the nuclear deal.
