Tehran: Iran on Monday vowed a 'proportionate and appropriate response' if European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal reinstated UN sanctions under the so-called snapback mechanism.
According to Anadolu Agency, at a press conference in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticized recent threats by Britain, France, and Germany to activate the 'snapback' mechanism, which could reimpose sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Baqaei described the European position as 'a political act and in opposition to the Islamic Republic.' He emphasized that such actions would elicit a proportionate and appropriate response from Iran, as reported by the state news agency IRNA.
The snapback mechanism is designed to reintroduce sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal if Tehran violates its nuclear commitments. However, Baqaei argued that last month's attacks by the US and Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities undermined the legal and political basis of the mechanism.
He asserted that resorting to this mechanism lacks legal, political, or moral justification and accused European parties of using it as a tool that violated their fundamental obligations. The spokesman reiterated Iran's commitment to the nuclear deal despite what he termed 'gross violations' by the US and Europe. He noted that Iran had gradually reduced its commitments in response to these violations, a move that was foreseen in the text of the deal.
The 2015 agreement was signed by Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US - plus Germany. It imposed limits on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. The US unilaterally withdrew from the deal on May 8, 2018, during President Donald Trump's first term, reimposing sweeping sanctions on Tehran.
On June 13, Israel, with US support, launched a 12-day offensive on Iran, targeting various sites and personnel. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israeli facilities. A US-brokered ceasefire between Tehran and Tel Aviv was announced on June 24.