Iran rejects US-E3 snapback claims warns UN members against misuse of UN authority

Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written to his counterparts around the world rejecting claims by the United States and the E3 that previously terminated UN Security Council sanctions on Iran have been restored through the so-called snapback mechanism.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that recent assertions by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany that terminated Security Council resolutions had been “restored” were “entirely unfounded, unlawful, and invalid."

In his letter, Araghchi emphasized that “no valid legal act has taken place that could restore the terminated resolutions. To claim otherwise is an attempt to mislead the international community and to impose unilateral political agendas under the guise of United Nations authority.”

He warned that such assertions undermine the integrity of the Security Council and pose a serious threat to multilateral diplomacy. The minister underscored that Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, terminated previous sanctions and set a clear timetable for their permanent expiration on 18 October 2025.

He argued that no state has the unilateral authority to reinterpret or extend its provisions.

According to the letter, the United States, having withdrawn from the JCPOA in 2018, and the E3, being in “substantial non-performance” of their commitments, are “absolutely devoid of eligibility” to invoke the resolution.

Araghchi further stressed that Washington and the European trio’s efforts amount to a “unilateral rewriting of international law,” violating Resolution 2231 and eroding trust in the binding nature of Security Council decisions.

He reiterated that Iran categorically rejects the alleged reinstatement of sanctions and that neither Iran nor any other UN member state is legally obligated to comply.

Instead, he called on governments to reject such claims, refrain from implementing them, and defend multilateralism against what he described as narrow political manipulation.

The letter concluded with a warning that if these “unlawful claims” are allowed to prevail, the authority of the Security Council and the principle of international agreements will be gravely compromised.

Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s readiness for diplomacy but vowed that Tehran will firmly defend its sovereign rights and legitimate interests.