Iran FM says ‘working with China and Russia’ to stop European sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday his country was working with China and Russia to prevent the snapback of European sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program after Britain, France and Germany threatened to reimpose them.

“We will try to prevent it,” the top diplomat said in an interview with state TV.

“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.”

The trio of European powers told the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday that they were ready to reimpose sanctions on Tehran if no diplomatic solution was found by the end of August.

All three were signatories to a 2015 deal that lifted sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.

The agreement, which terminates in October, includes a “snapback mechanism” allowing sanctions to be restored.

“If Iran continues to violate its international obligations, France and its German and British partners will reimpose the global embargoes on arms, nuclear equipment and banking restrictions that were lifted 10 years ago at the end of August,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X on Wednesday.

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, effectively collapsed after US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 during his first term and restored crippling sanctions.

European countries attempted to keep the deal alive, while Iran initially stuck to the terms before later ramping up its uranium enrichment.

Earlier this year, the United States joined Israel in bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israel launched its attacks while Washington and Tehran were still pursuing nuclear talks, which have not since resumed.

Western powers have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge the Iranian government strongly denies.