Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Europe has weakened its position in future negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and that its agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is no longer valid.
He was speaking to reporters following a meeting in Tehran with ambassadors, chargés d’affaires, and heads of foreign and international representations called after UN sanctions were reimposed on Iran under a snapback mechanism initiated by the UK, France and Germany (the E3) the month before.
The sanctions had been lifted in 2015 when Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), endorsed by Resolution 2231, with the P5+1 group of countries (the USA, UK, France, Russia, and China plus Germany). Under the JCPOA, Iran had agreed to limit its nuclear development programme in return for the lifting of sanctions. However, the US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, reimposing its unilateral sanctions, which the European states tacitly supported.
The 10-year JCPOA was due to expire in October, meaning Iran would no longer be bound by it and the E3 action was intended to prevent this. Iran had rejected E3 demands that it reinstate IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities, which Iran had suspended following the June attacks on its nuclear facilities by Israel and the US. The E3 used this to justify initiating the JCPOA sanction snapback provision. An 11th-hour effort by Russia and China aimed at giving diplomacy more time to resolve the dispute failed to win enough votes at the UN Security Council.
Araqchi said diplomacy remains the only path forward. “For years they threatened military action and used the snapback mechanism, but just as war was not a solution, snapback has also proved ineffective…. Its use has resolved nothing.”
He emphasised that diplomacy does not end, but the parties involved may change. “The three European countries have certainly diminished their role and lost their justification for negotiations. In any future talks, they will play a much smaller part,” he stated.
Araqchi also said that, due to the activation of the snapback mechanism, the agreement reached in September between Tehran and the IAEA in Cairo on resuming technical co-operation “no longer suffices under the new circumstances… and new decisions will be made.”
During his address to the ambassadors, Araghchi noted that Iran has consistently sought fair and balanced diplomatic solutions, but Western countries rejected these efforts due to excessive and unreasonable demands. “Experience has shown that there is no solution to Iran’s nuclear issue other than a diplomatic and negotiated one,” he said.
“The three European countries thought they could achieve results through the snapback mechanism, but that tool was ineffective and only made diplomacy more complicated. Diplomacy will always continue, but the form and the parties involved in negotiations have now changed. Undoubtedly, the role of the European countries in the upcoming talks has diminished, and their diplomatic justification for participating has weakened,” Araghchi underlined.
He said that in recent exchanges, Iran’s proposals were completely transparent. “Had they been taken seriously and the window for diplomacy not been restricted, reaching a negotiated and diplomatic solution would not have been out of reach. Even now, if the [opposing] parties act in good faith and consider mutual interests, the continuation of negotiations is possible. However, recent developments at the UN Security Council have made the process more difficult.”
Araqchi noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue its diplomatic efforts, as diplomacy can never be disregarded. “Nevertheless, the situation following the military attack and the activation of the snapback mechanism has changed, and the upcoming negotiations will certainly be different from before.”
He added: “To prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and its goodwill, the Islamic Republic of Iran has exhausted all diplomatic avenues, pursued consultations and cooperation, and presented constructive and balanced proposals. There is now no excuse left for Western countries to prevent Iran from cooperation or dialogue. Iran’s positions are fully legitimate and reasonable, and it is ready to pursue any solution that leads to confidence-building.”
