The return of United Nations sanctions triggered by European powers is illegal, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The resolutions are regarded by Tehran as terminated, according to the ministry.
"Action to revive terminated resolutions is legally baseless and morally and logically unacceptable.”
The statement was issued after France, Britain, and Germany restored sanctions under the so-called snapback mechanism.
In a lengthy statement carried by state media, the ministry denounced Britain, France, Germany and the United States for “abusing” the dispute-resolution process in the 2015 nuclear deal and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 to bring back restrictions.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects the claim of the three European countries and the United States regarding the return of previous resolutions that ended under Resolution 2231 in 2015, and emphasizes that no obligation is created for UN member states, including Iran,” the ministry said.
It added: “Any attempt to revive terminated resolutions is legally baseless, morally unacceptable and logically flawed.”
The foreign ministry said Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal, must expire on October 18, 2025 as scheduled. “Resolution 2231 of the Security Council and its restrictions on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program should be deemed terminated on that date,” it said.
The ministry accused the Europeans of “gross non-performance” of their obligations under the 2015 deal while siding with the United States in military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“By explicitly or implicitly supporting the military aggression of the Zionist regime and the United States against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities … they flagrantly violated international law, the non-proliferation regime, and specifically Resolution 2231,” it said.
Iran also said European powers acted “in bad faith” by pushing a draft resolution through the Security Council despite opposition from other signatories, including Russia, China and Iran. “It is regrettable that despite the clear positions of other members of the JCPOA, the Council president illegally put the draft to a vote,” the statement said.
“Iran will vigorously defend the rights and interests of the Iranian nation, and any move to harm them will be met with an appropriate and decisive response,” the ministry warned.
Araghchi’s letter to the UN
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Sang Jin Kim, saying the alleged return of sanctions “null and void.”
Echoing same arguments in the statement, Araghchi said, “We urge you to prevent any attempt to revive the sanctions mechanisms, including the Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts. None of the UN’s resources should be dedicated to supporting such illegal acts.”
Araghchi also argued that the European move was procedurally flawed. “The notification of the three European countries to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism is legally and procedurally defective, and thus null and void,” he wrote.
“They themselves defaulted on their commitments, misused the JCPOA dispute settlement process, and even justified military attacks against safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran.”
In his letter, Araghchi also recalled past divisions in the Security Council, saying that in 2020 a similar US effort failed.
“This situation mirrors that of October 2020, when the United States illegally sought to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism. At that time, the president of the Security Council said in a letter dated August 25, 2020, that the Council was not in a position to act on the matter.”
“Subsequently, in a letter dated September 21, 2020, thirteen members confirmed that the US communication could not be considered a valid notification to initiate the snapback process under paragraph 11 of Resolution 2231, and therefore no automatic procedure was activated. In October 2020, the Secretary-General and the Secretariat likewise declined to implement or reimpose sanctions, citing divisions and lack of consensus within the Council.”
“The September 26, 2025 vote once again showed that the Council is divided and lacks consensus on restoring sanctions,” he said.
Araghchi stressed that restrictions must end permanently on October 18, 2025. “All nuclear-related restrictions under Resolution 2231 will end on that date. Iran will not recognize any effort to extend, revive or enforce them after that,” he said.
Blame on Europe and US
Elsewhere in the Sunday statement, the foreign ministry insisted that Iran had shown “repeated commitment to dialogue and diplomacy” since 2015, implementing the deal until a year after Washington’s withdrawal in 2018.
“Iran presented numerous proposals for the restoration of commitments or a new negotiated understanding, all of which failed due to the lack of seriousness and good faith of the Europeans and the US,” it said.
It also highlighted what it called “criminal aggression” by Israel and the US against its nuclear facilities in June. “These attacks … killed and wounded many Iranian citizens and destroyed nuclear facilities and vital infrastructure. Iran will use all available tools to prosecute and punish the perpetrators and demand compensation,” the ministry said.
Tehran concluded that Western states had chosen “confrontation and crisis-making” over diplomacy.
“The Europeans and the United States mistakenly believe they will gain new leverage by reviving terminated resolutions. History has proven this wrong, and will prove it again,” the statement said.
Any country acting against the Islamic Republic under restored United Nations sanctions would face reciprocal measures, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Saturday.
“If a country wants to take action against Iran on the basis of these resolutions, it will be met with a reciprocal response,” Qalibaf said.
Iran does not consider itself bound by “these illegal resolutions,” including demands to suspend enrichment, he added.
Qalibaf also dismissed Western calls for negotiations as a ploy to disarm Iran’s missile program, saying talks meant only “deception and pressure.” He acknowledged that citizens were struggling with rising food prices, rent, and recurring power and water outages.
The United Nations Security Council’s decision to restore sanctions showed the world would not yield to Iran’s pressure over its nuclear program, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Saturday.
“Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to our peace and prosperity,” Bessent said in a post on X. The US president had given Tehran “every opportunity to reach a deal,” he added, but accused Iran of refusing to engage seriously.
Bessent urged UN member states to “immediately implement and enforce the sanctions.”
The Council’s action followed a May 31 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency accusing Iran of concealing undeclared nuclear material and obstructing inspections.
All UN sanctions suspended under the 2015 deal with Iran snapped back into force at 8 pm Eastern Time on September 27, one month after European powers triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism.
The sanctions, first imposed between 2006 and 2010 under six Security Council resolutions, were suspended in 2015 when Resolution 2231 endorsed the nuclear deal (JCPOA).
They covered arms embargoes, travel bans, financial restrictions, prohibitions on nuclear- and missile-related activity and the freezing of assets belonging to designated individuals and entities.
Resolution 2231 set an October 18, 2025 deadline after which many restrictions were due to expire unless a so-called "snapback" mechanism was triggered.
On August 28, 2025, Britain, France and Germany (the E3) triggered the mechanism citing Iran's failure to comply with its nuclear obligations, beginning a 30-day process that culminated in the sanctions' return.
