Three European countries and the United States have chosen the path of confrontation and crisis-making / The announcement of the return of expired resolutions is illegal

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Tehran: The statement of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states: Three European countries (Britain, Germany and France) have activated the so-called "snapback" mechanism with the instigation and pressure of the United States, while they themselves have committed "gross violations" of the JCPOA obligations over the past years and have abused the dispute resolution process. These countries have also violated not only the JCPOA obligations and the provisions of Resolution 2231, but also the fundamental principles of the UN Charter by openly or implicitly supporting the US and Israeli military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized: “The move to revive expired resolutions is legally and morally unacceptable and does not create any obligations for Iran and other members of the UN. All countries should refrain from recognizing this illegal situation.”

According to the ministry, Iran’s positions were announced in an official letter dated 25 October 2021 to the UN Secretary-General, which stated that the Security Council cannot act on the basis of the distorted communication of the three European countries.

 

Military attacks and gross violations of JCPOA commitments

The statement, referring to the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities between 13 June and 3 July 2025, emphasized: “This aggression, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of Iranian citizens and the destruction of the country’s vital infrastructure, is a clear violation of international law and entails criminal and international responsibility for its perpetrators and commanders. Iran will use all available means to try and punish the criminals and demand compensation.”

 

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the country had made extensive efforts in the past two months to prevent the three European countries from abusing the dispute resolution mechanism, including concluding an understanding with the International Atomic Energy Agency on 18 September 2025 and presenting reasonable proposals in the nuclear field; however, the inattention and excessiveness of the Western parties prevented the progress of these efforts.

 

Iran: A Decisive Response to Pressure

The Iranian Foreign Ministry warned: “The three European countries and the United States have chosen the path of confrontation and crisis-making instead of diplomacy. The Islamic Republic of Iran will vigorously defend its national rights and interests, and any attempt to harm the rights of the Iranian people will be met with an appropriate and decisive response.”

 

Positions of the West and the Security Council

Meanwhile, the European Troika issued a statement this morning (September 28) welcoming the return of UN sanctions. They announced that with the completion of the snapback process, six previous Security Council resolutions (1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929) will be re-enforced and restrictions will be imposed on Iran’s nuclear, missile, and military programs.

The statement claims that Iran has violated all JCPOA restrictions since 2019 and now has 48 times the specified limit of enriched uranium. The three European countries have also said that they had even offered a limited extension of the snapback and direct negotiations with the United States in exchange for Iran returning to its commitments, but Iran has refused.

At the same time, the UN Security Council, by rejecting a resolution proposed by China and Russia to extend Resolution 2231 by six months, paved the way for the automatic return of sanctions. International media reported that as of Saturday evening New York time, the official website of the Security Council was quickly updated and sanctions were imposed.

 

Reactions of Iran and Russia

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi described the US and European action as “abuse of the JCPOA mechanism” and said: “Resolution 2231 will expire on October 18, 2025 (26 Mizan/Mehr 1404) and the lifted sanctions cannot be reimposed. Any attempt in this regard is null and void.”

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry also announced in a statement: “The notorious snapback is not credible. "Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA remain in force, and the UN Secretariat has no authority to deviate from the provisions of this resolution."