Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araguchi wrote on his social media page with advice directed to three European countries that if E3 triggers a snapback mechanism, he will lose the last card.
“Not only is it inability to legally, politically or moral qualify to call E3 “snapbacks,” but even if “using or losing it doesn’t work,” an Iranian diplomat wrote to X.
“The correct expression of the E3 dilemma is to “use* it and lose it.” Or, “using it *lose everything,” he emphasized.
The “snapback” mechanism was introduced under UN Security Council resolution 2231 as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). This allows participants in the transaction to recover previous UN sanctions against Iran if Tehran is allegedly violated its commitment. However, Tehran argues that the three European signatories (UK, France and Germany) have already failed to respect their own obligations under the JCPOA, particularly in regards to the relief of sanctions and normalizing economic ties. Iran’s position is that Washington has lost any position to use the mechanism as the US unilaterally withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, and Europe has also confiscated its credibility, following the US lead. Iranian officials have not only lacked legal and political validity, but also emphasized further isolation of Europe, indicating that Western governments cannot trust their compliance with international agreements.
MNA/6588481