TEHRAN – Iranian President Masudo Pezeshkian spoke at a ceremony on Saturday, saying that Tehran would never surrender to forced care.
“They held a session last night to get their snapbacks back. Are they going to block our path? The mind and ideas either find a path or make a path,” he said.
“They may be able to hit Natantz and Fold, but they forget that it is the people who will build Natantz and bigger facilities. “We will never succumb to greed and attack. We will not bend before any force.”
On Friday, the resolution aimed at permanently lifting pre-JCPOA sanctions against Iran failed to win the necessary support. Nine members opposed the measure, but Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria supported it, and two abstained. Unless a breakthrough occurs, UN sanctions will automatically return by September 27th.
In a statement released after the vote, Iran said that the European signatories of the JCPOA (Germany, France, and the UK) have rejected reasonable Iran’s offer to prevent the return of sanctions while addressing European concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program. E3 began the process of launching an “snapback” of the anti-Iran UN embargo in late August. Analysts believe London, Berlin and Paris are on the verge of placating Washington, leaving the 2015 nuclear agreement after signing and attacking Iran’s nuclear site in June.
Elsewhere in his Saturday remarks, Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran’s true wealth lies not in oil or gas, but in a younger, creative generation. “Give the talented people space and support, they can solve all their problems. The enemy may destroy our achievements, but scientists and experts are true national treasures,” he said.
The president said his number one priority since performing his duties is reforming the education system to identify and develop talent. “We must raise children who will immediately pursue or create paths when faced with obstacles. No one can block someone’s path with determination and ability,” he said.
“If sanctions are resurrected, the Cairo Accord will collapse.”
The most immediate backwash of the potential recovery of UN sanctions is the collapse of a recent cooperation agreement with Tehran’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which ended in Cairo earlier this month.
In a telephone interview with Ilib News, Galibabadi said that he dismissed the European move as “completely illegal” and that Iran, China and Russia have presented detailed legal debates to the council.
“Nothing special happens in the field of diplomacy, and it would be logical that the Cairo Accord would be suspended completely if UN sanctions were to be revived,” warned Gallibabadi. Still, he added, “the path of interaction and diplomacy has never been closed.”
The Cairo deal reached between Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci and IAEA Chihurafaer Grossi on September 9th, outlined practical measures to resume cooperation. Following a Congressional vote, where the government is obliged to suspend work with agencies after US-Israel strikes target three Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran and the majority of the world said they have violated international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Gharibabadi warned of falling into a “psychological operation” designed by the Western government, saying that the revived UN measures will not add much to existing US sanctions.
In separate statements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declared that Tehran reserves the right to provide a “proportional response” to illegal actions while continuing to pursue its rights through diplomacy.
NPT could be discarded next
Iranian lawmakers also responded to the vote on Friday. Ebrahim Azitzi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Parliament, writes that “maximum pressure” on X failed, creating only higher costs for Iran’s enemies. “Dialogue is a tool of power, but it’s not an infinite concession. Those who choose pressure will face a more critical response,” he warned.
Congress’ vice-chairman Ali Nikzad called the snapback attempt “a desperate bid to force Iran to submit to hegemonic forces.” Citing the senior commander, he added: “Threats have opportunities that do not exist within the opportunities.”
The strongest response came from a spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. Ebrahim Rezayi said in a post on X that it was “time to leave the NPT and rethink some doctrines.” However, this proposal is not entirely new. Several Iranian authorities from across the political spectrum have warned that withdrawal from the NPT could be heavily followed by the recovery of UN sanctions since the lead-up until 2025. The US-Israel attacks that took place several months later further strengthened the Iranian stance, with many believing that diplomacy will not bear fruit when dealing with the West.