Iranian FM: Europe ‘Downgraded’ Its Role in Future Iran Nuclear Talks
By Staff, Agencies
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says the Europeans have undermined their standing in the diplomatic process aimed at resolving the country’s nuclear issue, and thus will play a “diminished" role in any future negotiations.
Araghchi made the remarks on Sunday, one week after the conclusion of the so-called snapback process initiated by the UK, Germany, and France [collectively known as the E3] aimed at restoring UN sanctions against Iran.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with ambassadors, chargés d'affaires, and heads of foreign and international missions residing in the capital Tehran, he said the European trio considered the snapback a new leverage to put pressure on Iran.
However, they now see that the activation of the mechanism resolved no problems and only made diplomacy more difficult and complex.
“Diplomacy never ends; it is always present. The question, however, is under what conditions, with which parties, and based on what balance it continues. The current circumstances are entirely different from the past,” he added.
“Three European countries have clearly undermined their standing in the diplomatic process and have largely forfeited the rationale for engaging in negotiations with them. In any prospective resolution based on dialogue, Europe's role will be considerably more diminished than in the past.”
On August 28, the E3 invoked the snapback mechanism, a 30-day process outlined in the US-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal to restore all UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.
Tehran rejected the move as illegitimate, citing the US’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and the European trio’s decision to align with unlawful sanctions rather than fulfilling their JCPOA obligations.
An 11th-hour effort by Russia and China aimed at giving diplomacy more time to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program failed to win enough votes at the Security Council on September 26.
Two days later, the US and the Europeans alleged that the anti-Iran UN resolutions and the associated sanctions were re-imposed, urging all UN member states to implement the restrictive measures.
Also in his remarks, Araghchi said that Iran has in recent months held indirect talks with the US, through messages and intermediaries, solely on the nuclear issue.
He further noted that diplomacy is still possible, provided that the other party enters the dialogue in good faith with the aim of securing the mutual interests of both sides.
Meanwhile, he emphasized that the Iranian Foreign Ministry will continue its efforts towards diplomacy, adding, however, the “circumstances have changed—both following the recent [‘Israeli’-US] military aggression [against Iran] and the activation of the snapback mechanism by the three European countries.
As a result, future negotiations will in no way resemble those of the past.”
The top Iranian diplomat was also asked about the fate of an agreement Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] signed in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on September 9 to resume cooperation.
He said that currently, the deal can no longer serve as the basis for Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA and that Iran will soon announce its new decision regarding the manner in which cooperation will proceed with the UN’s atomic watchdog.
The Islamic Republic has endeavored to achieve a fair and balanced negotiated solution to its nuclear issue, but the Western countries rejected the efforts due to their excessive and unreasonable demands, he pointed out.
