Geneva (TDI): Iran has urged European powers to avoid triggering the “snapback” of United Nations sanctions tied to the 2015 nuclear deal, calling on them to give diplomacy more time.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended talks with officials from Britain, France, and Germany in Geneva on Tuesday, said in a statement that it was “high time” for the European trio “to make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei echoed the message in Tehran, stressing that Iran’s priority was “to prevent actions or incidents that may be costly for the country.” He added that Tehran was “negotiating with all our might” ahead of a second round of discussions with European diplomats since the Iran-Israel conflict in June.
That 12-day war, sparked by an Israeli surprise attack, killed senior Iranian commanders, nuclear scientists, and hundreds of civilians. Iran responded with ballistic missile strikes on Israeli cities, while the United States targeted Iranian nuclear sites. The conflict abruptly froze Iran’s nuclear diplomacy with Washington and led Tehran to halt cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Read More: Iran, European Powers to Hold Nuclear Talks in Geneva Tomorrow
The European parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have threatened to invoke the agreement’s snapback clause by the end of August, which would restore wide-ranging UN sanctions unless Iran rolls back uranium enrichment and resumes cooperation with IAEA inspectors.
Baqaei rejected the move, insisting the Europeans lack “legal and moral” grounds to trigger the mechanism. “We will not allow this issue to become a tool of psychological warfare,” he told reporters.
Under the JCPOA, the deadline for activating the snapback is October, after which UN sanctions would be permanently lifted. While reports suggest the Europeans are considering pushing the deadline back, Tehran has dismissed their authority to do so.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said Tehran is coordinating with allies China and Russia to block any attempt at restoring sanctions.
Read More: Sanctions Loom as Iran, Europe Agree Fresh Talks
The original nuclear accord was severely undermined in 2018 when US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions. In the months leading up to the June war, Iran had already held five rounds of negotiations with the US in pursuit of a new nuclear arrangement.
A fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel has held since June 24, but diplomatic tensions remain high.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
