Iran’s judiciary said on Wednesday that the European move to trigger the UN snapback mechanism to restore sanctions was more of a psychological tactic than a genuine threat, while the government quietly instructed domestic media to downplay the issue to prevent public panic.
“Activating the snapback mechanism is against international norms and lacks legal validity,” judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters. “Seven years after the United States unilaterally violated the nuclear deal, instead of being held accountable, Europe has now chosen to activate this process.”
Jahangir described the snapback as “a psychological and propaganda tool rather than a real threat,” saying its aim was to undermine public morale.
“The enemy is trying to create dissatisfaction in society through noise and psychological warfare, but experience has shown that the Iranian people resist sanctions, hardships and aggression with determination,” he said.
He urged the media to act “intelligently” in covering the issue. “We must not allow anyone to feed into false divisions at home or damage national unity,” he added.
His comments come as Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has issued a confidential directive to newsroom editors, seen by Iran International, ordering outlets to limit coverage of the snapback process.
The instructions warn against “emotional” or “crisis-oriented” headlines and call for presenting the sanctions as manageable.
Editors were told not to highlight potential economic risks such as inflation, devaluation of the rial, or volatility in gold and foreign exchange markets, which officials fear could worsen public anxiety.
Instead, media are encouraged to frame the sanctions as evidence of European weakness, stress Iran’s resilience under pressure, and highlight internal political and economic problems in the West.
The directive follows warnings by domestic economists that renewed UN sanctions could intensify inflation and weaken the currency.
Last month, the Tehran Chamber of Commerce projected the dollar could climb to 1.65 million rials under pessimistic scenarios, but the report was later downplayed after members of the chamber’s international affairs team were questioned by the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence unit.
