Pezeshkian says Europe backtracked on snapback deal after talks with US
"On the snapback mechanism, we apparently reached an agreement with Europe, but when they spoke with the United States, they came up with various excuses," Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said upon arrival in Tehran.
“If today their issue is nuclear, tomorrow they will raise non-nuclear matters, because they do not want a powerful Iran," he told reporters in Tehran.
Pezeshkian returned from his visit to New York on Saturday and was welcomed in Tehran by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's chief of staff.
Pezeshkian says Europe backtracked on snapback deal after talks with US | Iran International
The Islamic Republic does not accept pressure or threats from the United States and European countries, said Hamidreza Haji Babaei, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament on Saturday.
"The US and three European states blocked the path of diplomacy through force and unilateralism.”
The Islamic Republic, he said, "would continue its determined path,” including cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and what he called the "legal enrichment of uranium."
A Tehran MP called for expelling the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany after those countries backed activating the snapback mechanism.
“The foreign ministry should have expelled the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany,” Hamid Rasaei wrote on X.
“FM Araghchi equated the snapback with a military attack; would you allow the ambassadors of countries that attacked us to remain in the country?” he added.
Any external involvement in determining the country’s missile capabilities is unacceptable, state media quoted Reza Talaeinik, spokesperson for Iran’s Defense Ministry, as saying on Saturday.
“National security and interests are our red line, and no foreign interference in the country’s defensive power is acceptable,” Talaeinik said.
“No foreign power has any grounds to intervene in setting Iran’s missile capabilities in line with its defensive needs.”
Israel is unlikely to launch another strike on Iran but any new attack would be met with a strong response, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said.
“We are prepared for all contingencies but I do not think the Israelis will act recklessly; if they attack Iran, we will respond firmly,” Larijani said in Beirut on Saturday during memorial events for Hassan Nasrallah.
The comments coincided with heightened regional tensions following the UN Security Council’s snapback decision.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, traveled to Beirut on Saturday to attend memorial ceremonies for the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, announcing his support for Lebanon’s role as a frontline of resistance against Israel.
“We are hopeful for the future of the region. Awareness and vigilance in the region are on the rise,” said Larijani.
“The Israeli regime spares no country as seen in the recent incident in Qatar,” he said.
“Many countries are seeking to establish a joint mechanism for cooperation, and we support this path,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.
Larijani will meet senior Lebanese officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern, the Iranian embassy in Beirut said.
He is joined by Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament’s National Security Committee, and Rouhollah Motefaker Azad, a deputy speaker, during his trip to Lebanon.
In his previous Beirut visit in August, Lebanese political figures publicly criticized Tehran’s influence and interference, warning that Iran’s pressure on Hezbollah’s armament threatened Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Though Hezbollah was once seen as Iran’s dominant proxy in Lebanon, it has endured heavy losses. Israeli strikes last year killed thousands of its fighters and senior leaders, with much of its military infrastructure destroyed.
Lebanese officials have said a sovereign, unified Lebanon requires the elimination of foreign influence, adding that Hezbollah’s control over armed power remains a major obstacle.
Founded in 1982 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hezbollah has long been Israel’s principal military adversary in Lebanon. Fighting late last year left the group weakened.
