Britain, France and Germany made a big mistake by triggering the snapback to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran, but Iran would be ready for an agreement if the Europeans reverse course, the Iranian foreign minister wrote in an opinion piece for The Guardian.
Abbas Araghchi wrote that the European trio, known as the E3, were “enabling the excesses of Washington” by following US President Donald Trump’s strategy, which he said had derailed the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The E3’s gambit lacks any legal standing, chiefly because it ignores the sequence of events that led Iran to adopt lawful remedial measures under the nuclear deal,” he said.
He argued that it was the United States, not Iran, that abandoned the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018, while Europe failed to deliver on promises to sustain trade and normalize economic relations.
“While failing to uphold its own obligations, Europe has expected Iran to unilaterally accept all restrictions,” he wrote, adding that the E3 “declined to condemn the US attack on my country in June – on the eve of diplomatic talks – and yet are now demanding UN sanctions on Iranians for supposedly rejecting dialogue.”
Araghchi warned that the sanctions push “will only further sideline them by eliminating [Europe] from future diplomacy, with broad negative consequences for all of Europe in terms of its global credibility and standing.”
But he also stressed that Tehran was open to negotiations on what he called “a realistic and lasting bargain.”
He wrote: “Iran remains open to diplomacy. It is ready to forge a realistic and lasting bargain that entails ironclad oversight and curbs on enrichment in exchange for the termination of sanctions.”
The minister said the alternative to diplomacy “may have consequences destructive for the region and beyond on a whole new level,” adding that Europe should “give diplomacy the time and space that it needs to succeed.”
Britain, France and Germany announced last month they had activated the “snapback” mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which would restore sanctions unless the Council votes otherwise within 30 days.
Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran will not return to the negotiating table under the same conditions that existed before the June war with Israel.
