Iran Rejects Conditions Proposed by Europeans for Avoiding 'Snapback' Sanctions
Aug. 31—The UN Security Council met behind closed doors Aug. 29 to discuss the European notification on August 28 to initiate the “snapback” of UN sanctions against Iran for Iran’s alleged violations of the limits imposed on its nuclear program under the JCPOA. According to Reuters, Britain, France and Germany urged Iran to meet three requirements so their threat of reimposing UN sanctions can be delayed to allow space for talks on a deal to address their concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.
“Our asks were fair and realistic,” Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward claimed in a statement she read before reporters with her German and French counterparts standing next to her. “However, as of today, Iran has shown no indication that it is serious about meeting them. We urge Iran to reconsider this position, to reach an agreement based on our offer, and to help create the space for a diplomatic solution to this issue for the long term.”
In response, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani issued a strong, blunt statement in which he charged that Britain, Germany and France invoked “the so-called snapback notification process with the sole intention of blackmailing Iran and exerting political pressure,” reported IRNA. “In parallel, France and the United Kingdom requested a closed Council meeting in an attempt to justify this unlawful and politically motivated move and to instrumentalize the Council against Iran.” The E3 statement, he added, “was yet another desperate and cynical effort to distort realities on the ground and to legitimize their politically driven actions.”
Among the long list of points Iravani made were the following:
• Iran is committed to diplomacy, but it will not negotiate under threats or coercion.
• Pressure tactics are designed to impose dictates, not to resolve issues—and Iran will never submit to them.
• The reckless decision by the E3 undermines Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and constitutes an unnecessary and provocative escalation. If unchecked, the E3’s path will gravely damage the credibility and integrity of the Security Council and place international peace and security at serious risk.
• The proposal by Russia and China for a short technical extension of UNSC resolution 2231—the resolution which ratified the 2015 nuclear deal but is set to expire this coming October—is a practical step in this direction.
• The E3, however, has put forward an extension plan full of unrealistic preconditions.
• This is a hypocritical move. They are demanding conditions that should be the outcome of negotiations, not the starting point, and they know these demands cannot be met.