TEHRAN, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday warned that the country would take countermeasures in response to any potential action by three European powers of France, Germany, and Britain to trigger the snapback mechanism and reimpose sanctions.
He made the remarks in an address to reporters in Tehran while reacting to threats by the three countries, collectively known as the E3, to trigger the snapback mechanism against Iran.
The mechanism is a clause in a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran and world powers, which would allow the other parties to reimpose all international sanctions should Tehran fail to comply with the agreement.
"Using the mechanism implies that the other sides are not after a negotiation process, but seek intimidation and threats. We will take countermeasures in the face of any potential action by them in this regard and have announced this issue before," Baghaei said.
He added that Iran would not let any "unjust and unfriendly" action go unanswered, and "we think that there is no legal and logical reason for using the snapback mechanism."
He expressed hope that the three European powers would reconsider the approach they had been pursuing for the past months as it was a "double-edged sword."
His remarks came as Iran and the E3 held a high-level meeting in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Iran signed the JCPOA in 2015 with six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to gradually reduce compliance with its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the agreement have not achieved substantial progress. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号