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Iran works with Moscow and Beijing to prevent European sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Thursday that his country is working closely with China and Russia to prevent potential European sanctions linked to its nuclear program.
Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have indicated they are ready to trigger the "snapback" mechanism if no negotiated solution is reached regarding Iran’s nuclear program by the end of August. This mechanism would restore previously lifted international sanctions.
Speaking on state television, Araghchi said: “If this occurs, it would be negative… We will try to prevent it… We are working with China and Russia to stop the snapback. If it does happen, we have tools to respond.”
The E3 European powers (France, Germany, UK), along with China, Russia, and the United States, originally negotiated the 2015 nuclear agreement, which limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the deal became void after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew in 2018, and Iran subsequently eased some of its commitments.
Western nations have been attempting to renegotiate a strict agreement, concerned that Iran may seek nuclear weapons—a claim Tehran denies. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is the only non-nuclear weapons state enriching uranium to high levels (60%), far above the 3.67% limit of the 2015 deal.
The E3 stresses that, if diplomacy fails by the August deadline, they are legally justified to restore sanctions, citing Iran’s uranium stockpile exceeding the treaty limit by over 40 times. Tehran, however, maintains that uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable right for its civil nuclear program.