Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told IRNA that Friday’s meeting between Iran and the three European parties to the JCPOA is a valuable opportunity for those countries to rectify their views and positions regarding Iran’s nuclear issue. He expressed hope that they will seize this opportunity to make amends for their previous unconstructive approaches, which have damaged Europe’s credibility and role in negotiations and relegated it to a marginal player.
Baghaei expressed regret over the biased stances of the three European countries regarding the US and Israeli military aggression against Iran—which effectively presented these countries as justifiers of lawlessness and aggression to the world. He stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran had already protested such inappropriate positions and that during Friday’s meeting, Iran would formally convey its objections to the European parties and seek explanations.
In response to another question regarding the European countries’ repeated threats to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism, Baghaei stated that there is no justification for keeping Iran’s nuclear issue on the Security Council’s agenda beyond the scheduled time. Furthermore, due to their positions and conduct regarding their own JCPOA commitments, the three European countries have no legal standing or right to resort to such a mechanism.
“In other words,” he added, “the three European countries, due to their continued breaches of their JCPOA obligations and their supportive stances toward US and Israeli military attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities—which constitute violations of Resolution 2231 and attacks on its core, namely the recognition of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program including enrichment—have knowingly undermined their own standing as JCPOA participants. Therefore, they no longer have the legal legitimacy to use—or even propose extensions to—mechanisms within the JCPOA that they themselves have violated.”
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added: “Reinstating Security Council resolutions that were lifted in 2015 under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 has no legal, ethical, or logical justification. Iran remains a JCPOA member, and all remedial measures taken one year after the U.S. withdrawal were fully within the framework of the JCPOA and in response to the US and European violations. The three European countries, who have continually breached their obligations to Iran, are in no legal or logical position to accuse Iran of violating a resolution they themselves have violated.”
Baghaei also pointed to Israeli pressure on the three European countries in this regard, saying, “It is not surprising that Israel—the only nuclear-armed regime in the region, the biggest enemy of the JCPOA, and the main driver behind the US withdrawal from the deal—now seeks to dictate to Europe and further complicate the matter. The question is whether these three countries are willing to further sacrifice their credibility for the sinister ambitions of the Israeli regime. As mentioned earlier, they fundamentally lack the legal standing on this matter.”
In response to reports suggesting Europe may propose extending Resolution 2231, Baghaei said, “When the very idea of reimposing sanctions lacks any legal or logical basis—and when the European parties, due to their actions, have no legitimacy to do so—talking about extending Resolution 2231 becomes doubly meaningless and baseless, and we oppose it.”
On the status of Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Baghaei stated that the suspension of Iran’s cooperation with the Agency is a direct result of the illegal and aggressive actions of the US and Israel. "These actions, which violated the UN Charter and international law, have dealt a severe blow to the non-proliferation regime and seriously undermined the safety and security of Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities. Accordingly, the international community must condemn the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and hold the aggressors accountable.”
Baghaei emphasized that Iran remains a party to the NPT and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, but under current conditions—following the illegal attacks by the US and Israel on Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites—Iran’s engagement with the IAEA is based on the recent parliamentary law, which conditions cooperation on authorization and coordination with the Supreme National Security Council of the country.
Regarding reports about a potential visit by a senior IAEA official to Iran and possible inspections of damaged nuclear sites, Baghaei said, “The Deputy Director General of the Agency is scheduled to visit Tehran, likely in the coming weeks. The purpose of this trip is to discuss a new framework for Iran-IAEA cooperation. There are no plans for visits to nuclear facilities that were damaged during the illegal attacks by the US and Israel.”
MNA