Iran to end cooperation with UN agency if sanctions reinstated
TEHRAN
Iran warned on Sept. 26 that it will terminate cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if U.N. sanctions are reimposed through the snapback mechanism by European powers.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the decision of the three European JCPOA members, U.K., France and Germany – to trigger the mechanism, calling it “legally and politically baseless” and a “serious threat to Europe’s international credibility and the 2015 nuclear agreement.”
Araghchi warned that the E3 move to revive the sanctions would cause “irreparable damage” to Europe’s image, stressing that “in this game, the three countries will not only fail to emerge victorious but will also be sidelined from future diplomatic processes.”
European powers were urging Iran to reverse a series of steps it took after Israel and the United States bombed its nuclear sites in June.
Complaining that Iran has not complied with a landmark but moribund deal, the Europeans have triggered a return of sweeping U.N. sanctions, notably on its banking and oil sectors, that are set to take effect at the end of Sept. 27.
China and Russia at a Security Council session on Sept. 26 put forward a draft resolution that would give another half year for talks, or until April 18, 2026.
But diplomats said they did not expect it to receive the nine votes on the 15-member Security Council for passage.
French President Emmanuel Macron met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sept. 24 and said a deal was possible to avoid the sanctions but that Iran had only hours left.
One diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said late on Sept. 25 that the Europeans believed they had "done everything to try to move things" but that Iran did not offer the desired flexibility.
France, speaking for itself, Germany and Britain, has told Iran it must allow full access to U.N. nuclear inspectors, immediately resume nuclear negotiations and offer transparency on highly enriched uranium, the whereabouts of which has been the subject of speculation.
