Araghchi rebukes US, Europe for preventing nuclear settlement in New York talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says an agreement on the so-called snapback mechanism was unattainable in New York due to the excessive demands of the United States, backed by European countries.

Speaking to reporters before leaving New York on Monday local time, Araghchi detailed his diplomatic trip, which included discussions on preventing the snapback of UN sanctions, attendance at the General Assembly and international forums, and various meetings both at and beyond the UN.

He characterized the approach of the Western parties as an attempt to extract “unreasonable and unachievable concessions” from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He said Iran had presented its own “completely reasonable” proposals, which, he added, European parties had also acknowledged were fair. 

On September 19, the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the E3 triggered the “snapback” mechanism and accused Tehran of failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

A subsequent resolution, which sought to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass at the Security Council on Friday.

“An attempt was made to reach a settlement between the proposals of the two sides, but due to the excessive demands of the Americans and the support of the European countries, we were unable to reach a settlement,” Araghchi stated. 

According to the Iranian top diplomat, the totality of Iran’s diplomatic push is a demonstration of its unwavering foreign policy.

“The numerous meetings, the various proposals that we put on the table... all of these things were done,” he said, noting that Tehran would take “whatever action is necessary to protect Iran’s interests” until the very last moment.

Iran condemns reactivation of expired UN sanctions by US and Europeans

Araghchi has criticized the US and three European nations for attempting to leverage the snapback mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal to reimpose expired UN sanctions against Tehran.

Araghchi also revealed that “messages were exchanged with the Americans, both directly and indirectly.” He stated that officials were “relieved that we did what was necessary and it was confirmed.”

This outcome, according to the minister, reinforced the long-standing position of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei that negotiations with the US are in a complete deadlock.

Last week, the Leader rejected Washington’s demands over nuclear negotiations, saying that accepting talks under threat is something “no honorable nation would ever do, and no wise statesman would ever endorse.”

On the economic impact of the UN sanctions, Araghchi predicted that “no more sanctions will be imposed than those previously imposed by the United States.”

He suggested that while the reshuffling of sanctions “will not have a significant impact,” they will bring “political and sometimes strategic effects in their place, which we must also confront.”

On future steps regarding the sanctions and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the minister affirmed that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will ultimately decide the path forward, acting solely based on national interest.

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