SAEDNEWS: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that Friday’s Istanbul meeting is an opportunity for Europe’s Troika, namely Britain, France, and Germany, to revise their stance on Iran’s nuclear program.
According to Saednews, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says that a meeting between Iran and the E3 – comprising Britain, France, and Germany – presents a valuable opportunity for the three European countries to revise their stance on Iran’s nuclear issue and serves as a test of their realism regarding the matter.
Baqaei made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA, published on Friday, the same day when representatives from Iran and the E3 meet in Istanbul, Turkey. The trio are members of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA.
In response to a question about repeated threats by European countries to invoke the so-called “snapback mechanism” against Iran, the spokesperson stated that there is no justification for failing to remove Iran’s nuclear file from the U.N. Security Council’s agenda at the scheduled time.
He added that the E3 fundamentally lack the legitimacy or right to resort to such mechanisms due to their conduct regarding their commitments under the JCPOA.
In fact, he noted, the E3 have knowingly undermined their status as “JCPOA participants” by repeatedly violating their obligations under the agreement and by supporting U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities.
The attacks, which were part of a war of aggression launched by Israel against Iran on June 13, are in clear violation of Resolution 2231 and directly contradict its core purpose: the confirmation of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, including its right to uranium enrichment, Baqaei noted.
“Therefore, they no longer possess the legal authority to invoke or even extend JCPOA mechanisms that they themselves have violated,” he added.
Under the JCPOA, which was concluded in 2015 between Iran, the European Union, Russia, China, the E3, and the United States, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The multilateral agreement was thrown into disarray after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. A year later, the Islamic Republic took reciprocal measures after the remaining Western parties to the JCPOA failed to compensate for the U.S. withdrawal.
In his interview, the spokesperson said that reinstating Security Council resolutions – which had been annulled under the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 endorsing the deal – has no legal, ethical, or logical justification, as Iran remains a JCPOA member and its reciprocal measures were a response to the failure of the U.S. and Europe to fulfill their obligations.
Fundamentally, the three European countries, who have themselves consistently violated their commitments to Iran, lack the legal or moral standing to accuse Iran of violating the very resolution they have themselves breached, he added.
Israel deciding Europe's course of action
Referring to Israeli pressure on the E3, Baqaei said it is not surprising that Israel – the only nuclear-armed regime in the region, the biggest opponent of the JCPOA, and the main instigator of the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the agreement – is now trying to dictate terms to Europe and further complicate the situation.
“The question now is whether these three countries are willing to further sacrifice their credibility for the malicious ambitions of the Zionist regime,” the Iranian diplomat stated.
Iran’s cooperation with I.A.E.A.
Baqaei stated that the Islamic Republic suspended its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.), after the U.S. and Israel struck Iran’s nuclear sites last month.
“Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the I.A.E.A. was a direct result of the illegal aggressive acts of the Zionist regime and the U.S., which, by violating the U.N. Charter and international law, dealt a heavy blow to the non-proliferation regime and severely damaged the safety and security of Iran’s nuclear facilities,” he said.
The spokesperson also stated that any decision regarding Iran’s interaction with the I.A.E.A. is based on a recent law passed by the Iranian Parliament, which requires that cooperation must have permission and coordination from the Supreme National Security Council.
Baqaei further stated that the deputy chief of the I.A.E.A. will travel to Iran in the coming weeks. He added that while no visit to the Iranian nuclear sites is planned, the upcoming trip will focus on consultations regarding a new method of cooperation between Iran and the agency.
