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Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held a “consultative meeting” on Wednesday with the country’s ambassadors to Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who were summoned back to Tehran after the three European governments triggered the snapback mechanism, reinstating UN resolutions.
“The meeting reviewed the latest developments related to the nuclear issue and bilateral relations with the three European countries in light of their unfounded and illegal action in exploiting the UN Security Council against Iran, as well as appropriate measures to safeguard the country’s national interests,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The G7 grouping of wealthy democracies plus the European Union on Wednesday blamed Iran for newly-imposed international sanctions and urged Tehran to resume talks with Washington and allow inspections of its nuclear sites.
Meanwhile, Russia, itself heavily sanctioned by the West announced it would flout the new UN sanctions it unsuccessfully opposed at the UN Security Council last week.
“The E3 and the United States have repeatedly offered diplomatic avenues in good faith to Iran to avoid the snapback and reach a durable and comprehensive negotiated resolution,” the G7 said in a joint statement.
It was signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the EU High Representative.
'Diplomacy essential'
The statement referred to the European troika of Britain, Germany and France which invoked the return of UN sanctions citing what they called Iran’s lack of transparency on its nuclear program.
“Diplomacy remains essential now that the UNSC process has led to the reimposition of sanctions. We call on Iran to refrain from any escalatory action, immediately engage in direct talks with the United States, and make demonstrable progress toward fully meeting its nuclear non-proliferation obligations,” the ministers said.
They urged Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) without delay, including by implementing its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“This includes allowing IAEA inspections to resume in all nuclear facilities and accounting for all nuclear material it holds,” the statement said.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and has called the sanctions a violation of international law and its sovereignty.
Russia set to defy sanctions
Russia announced on Wednesday it will not recognize or implement the reinstated UN sanctions on Iran.
“We’ll be living in two parallel realities, because for some snapback happened, for us it didn’t,” Moscow’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.
Russia’s UN envoy also claimed the move could serve as a pretext for another round of military strikes on Iran, referencing the 12-day war during which Israel and the United States targeted major nuclear sites.
“This development is fraught with the risk of major escalation around Iran, because it opens the door for those countries who want to finish off Iran’s nuclear program,” Nebenzia added.
Iran, as a signatory to the NPT, is obligated to host IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Tehran has warned the return of UN sanctions threatens its collaboration with the IAEA, and the diplomatic impasse over Iran's disputed nuclear program appears to have no end in sight.
Moscow does not recognize the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said when asked if the country would enforce the measures.
"We'll be living in two parallel realities, because for some snapback happened, for us it didn't. That creates a problem. How we will get out of it - let's see," Nebenzia told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, marking the start of Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council for October.
"This development is really fraught with a major escalation around Iran, because it opens the door for those countries who want to finish Iran's nuclear program," Nebenzia added, referring to US and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in June.
Protests against university authorities and gripped several campuses across Iran, according to videos sent to Iran International, pointing to widespread anxiety among students which stopped short of overtly political grievances.
In one video, filmed at night, students are seen protesting disciplinary measures and calling for an end to harsh punishments.
At Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology they chanted, “University is not a barracks; expulsion is no longer the answer.” The dispute related to student dissatisfaction with food and accommodation.
University administrators in Iran frequently deploy expulsion to silence pushback and punish students who protest their conditions.
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences also witnessed series of protests alleging administrators' alleged mismanagement and provision of substandard accommodation.
A video obtained by Iran International showed students chanting slogans including “incompetent official, resign!” and “university officials, shame shame!”
Bus crash tragedy
A separate incident in the town of Sorkheh north of Tehran has left the community reeling. A bus carrying female paramedical students crashed on Tuesday, killing two and leaving five others in critical condition.
In a recorded meeting with the dean, one student described the scene as horrific and said some victims were impossible to identify because their faces were badly damaged.
“Seeing two of your friends’ faces crushed, unrecognizable — we identified them by their clothes and nail polish. Someone you were talking and laughing with, and now they’re being brought back as a corpse, it’s very hard,” she said.
Multiple videos show students pressing the dean and university administrators for accountability.
Provincial authorities pledged a full investigation into the crash.
Iranian university students have continued staging demonstrations despite heavy pressure from authorities, demanding accountability and an end to harsh disciplinary measures such as expulsions and suspensions.
Slogans on walls
Other citizen-submitted videos showed dissidents painting slogans on city walls and on large billboards around Tehran in several separate locations.
Large-scale political protests have been rare since authorities quashed with deadly force the so-called Woman, Life, Freedom protests sparked by the death of a young woman in morality police custody in 2022.
One man is filmed writing messages in favor of Iran's monarchy, which was ousted by the Islamic Revolution in 1979, while others call on citizens to resist authorities: “Break the silence, compatriot, while there’s still time.”
Another slogan directly addresses the country’s Supreme Leader: “Khamenei should know he will be overthrown soon.”
UN sanctions reactivated by European powers took effect over the weekend and are set to deepen Iran's economic pain.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons the West accuses it of pursuing and has warned the measures could deepen civil unrest.
The G7 grouping of wealthy democracies on Wednesday said it backed new European-triggered international sanctions on Iran and urged Tehran to negotiate with the United States and open up its nuclear sites to inspections.
“The E3 and the United States have repeatedly offered diplomatic avenues in good faith to Iran to avoid the snapback and reach a durable and comprehensive negotiated resolution," the G7 said in a joint statement.
It referred to the European troika of Britain, Germany and France which invoked the return of UN sanctions citing Iran's alleged lack of transparency on its nuclear program.
"Diplomacy remains essential now that the UNSC process has led to the reimposition of sanctions. We call on Iran to refrain from any escalatory action, immediately engage in direct talks with the United States and make demonstrable progress towards fully meeting its nuclear non-proliferation obligations."
“Iran must fully cooperate with the IAEA without any further delay and fully implement its obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. This includes allowing for IAEA inspections to resume in all its nuclear facilities and accounting for all of the nuclear material it holds," it added.
Iran is a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and is obligated to host inspections of its nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
