TEHRAN – Tehran summoned ambassadors to the UK, France and Germany and expressed strong opposition to their role in convening the recent UN Security Council meeting on Iran’s nuclear program.
The meeting, held on March 12, received attention as an unfair and provocative act organized by Iranian officials in cooperation with the United States.
The closure of Tehran’s nuclear programme, launched by the UK, French and German at the request of Washington, comes just days after the IAEA committee observed Iran’s nuclear issue.
Mohammad Hassan Nejad Pirkowhi, Director of International Peace and Security of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with envoys representing the Chargéd’ifaires of France, Germany and the UK because of the absence of its ambassador. He criticised the three European countries as “irresponsible” US policies and reiterated Iran’s stance that the conference had no legal or technical basis.
Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme operates within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Protection Agreement. Authorities stressed that the programme is consistent with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement that allows Iran to reduce its nuclear activity in exchange for relief from sanctions.
After the US withdrawal, Iran continued to be fully committed to the JCPOA for a year. Finally, in May 2019, Iran gradually began to raise restrictions on nuclear activity after the European side did not respect their commitment. Iran has announced that if European parties adhere to shared contracts, they will reverse their decision. But the Europeans didn’t.
The revival talk of the JCPOA has been stagnant due to Western hesitation and excessive demand. Despite these challenges, Iran has shown an willingness to continue its diplomatic involvement with the IAEA and restore the JCPOA. Recent negotiations in Geneva with the European Troika highlight Tehran’s continued preference for diplomacy.
At a Security Council meeting, British envoy James Kariuki expressed warning about Iran’s allegedly producing very rich uranium and said that if the situation demands it, they would not hesitate to evoke a snapback mechanism.
The issue of the snapback mechanism has been controversial for years. During his previous administration, Donald Trump put pressure on Europe to activate snapback sanctions before Iran enriched uranium to 60%. This mechanism could restore pre-JCPOA sanctions and force Iran to halt all uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water projects. Meanwhile, the latest European resolution at the IAEA Board has further raised tensions by calling for a comprehensive report on Iran’s nuclear activity by spring 2025. Tehran calls the move a sign of European hostility.
In response to these latest threats, Iran has warned that if the snapback mechanism is fully revived, it could withdraw from the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT). The warning was conveyed by Iranian diplomat Majid Takto Ravanci following a conversation in Geneva with representatives from the UK, France and Germany in December 2024.
The Foreign Ministry further criticized the Security Council session for politically driving it, eroding the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and disrupts the established cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.
European diplomats reportedly assured Iran that their objections would be communicated to their respective capitals.