China Rejects UN Snapback Sanctions on Iran

By Staff, Agencies

China reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful resolution of Iran's nuclear issue and opposes the invocation of the UN Security Council's "snapback" mechanism.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin issued the statement on Friday in response to the European troika's warning to re-impose sanctions if a diplomatic solution is not achieved by the end of August.

“China stays committed to peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means, opposes invoking Security Council ‘snapback’ sanctions,” Lin said.

He argued that re-imposing sanctions on Iran would not foster trust or bridge differences among parties and would hinder diplomatic efforts to resume talks promptly.

Lin emphasized that any actions taken by the Security Council should facilitate the achievement of new agreements rather than undermine the negotiation process.

China reaffirmed its neutral stance and commitment to facilitating dialogue, urging a return to diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear file as soon as possible.

He also highlighted Beijing's intention to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and to promote peace and stability in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that the country is actively collaborating with China and Russia to prevent the reactivation of UN sanctions through the so-called “snapback” mechanism.

“We are working with China and Russia to stop it. If this does not work and they apply it, we have tools to respond. We will discuss them in due course,” he added.

The JCPOA’s snapback clause permits automatic re-imposition of UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 deal, which is set to expire in October.

Iran, however, disputes the legitimacy of the European powers’ efforts to trigger the provision.

France, Germany, and the UK warned in a letter to the UN that they would use all diplomatic means to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon if Tehran fails to meet a set dialogue deadline.

Iran told the UN Security Council that the UK, France, and Germany can no longer trigger snapback sanctions, a stance backed by China and Russia.

China and Russia's support is key to Iran's push against snapback sanctions, as both hold UN Security Council veto power over Iran-related resolutions.