News - Middle East: Iran’s foreign minister 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According to the letter, the United States, having withdrawn from the JCPOA in 2018, and the E3, being in “substantial non-performance” of their commitments, are “absolutely devoid of eligibility” to invoke the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.

Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran accepted confidence-building limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of UN, US, and EU sanctions.

The agreement was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which also set a timeline for the permanent expiration of nuclear-related restrictions in October 2025.

However, Iran repeatedly complained that the United States, even under former President Barack Obama, was reluctant to allow Tehran to benefit economically from the deal.

In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran.

In response, and after waiting over a year for the European parties to compensate for the US withdrawal, Tehran began gradually reducing its compliance with the nuclear limits in accordance with the JCPOA, while insisting it remained open to negotiations if sanctions were lifted.

The expiration of restrictions in October 2025 was meant to mark the conclusion of a decade-long nuclear dispute and the normalization of Iran’s nuclear status.

But the E3 have sought to prevent this by invoking the deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, which could allow the restoration of anti-Iran sanctions if Tehran were found in violation of its commitments.

Iran, however, maintains that its reduction of commitments was a legal and legitimate response to the US and EU failure to fulfill their obligations, and therefore the E3 are in no position to trigger the mechanism.

Russia, China, and some other countries have backed Iran’s position, declaring that they do not recognize the restoration of anti-Iran sanctions.

Source: Press TV