Iran warns it will terminate IAEA deal if UN sanctions are reimposedIran warns it will terminate IAEA deal if UN sanctions are reimposed

A senior Iranian diplomat has stated that the recent Tehran-IAEA agreement reached in Cairo will be terminated if the UN sanctions are reinstated or the so-called snapback mechanism is triggered.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a phone conversation with IRIB News in response to Europe’s move to reinstate the UN Security Council resolutions, despite Iran’s maximum cooperation with the European Troika and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in recent days.

The UN Security Council on Friday voted against a draft resolution that would have permanently lifted sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear program.

Gharibabadi said that although the UN Security Council adopted a resolution challenging Resolution 2231 and the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOA), by attempting to extend sanctions relief for Iran, the measure was ultimately defeated after failing to secure the necessary votes.

Nine members opposed the measure, while Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria backed it, and two abstained. As a result, the UN sanctions against Iran will be re-imposed by September 28 if no agreement is reached.

“We, China, and Russia have presented our very detailed and legal arguments to the UN Security Council in recent months, and during these detailed arguments, we declared that the actions of these three countries to activate the snapback mechanism are completely illegal,” he noted.

Iran, on the other hand, “has always believed in diplomacy and interaction, and we made every effort to prevent the actions of European countries through diplomacy,” he added.