TEHRAN -- Iran on Friday strongly condemned France, Germany, and the UK for attempting to reimpose UN Security Council sanctions by invoking the nuclear deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, calling the move illegal, unjustified, and provocative.
The condemnation came after a UN Security Council resolution, aimed at preventing the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, failed to secure enough votes. 
The resolution, put forward by South Korea, the current president of the 15-member council, did not receive the nine votes needed to block the return of sanctions at the end of the month, as stipulated under the 2015 nuclear deal framework.
Only four countries—China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria—voted in favor of the resolution to halt sanctions. Several of these nations criticized the European countries for what they described as an unjustified and illegal action against Iran.
“Their only goal now is to use the council as a tool for their bad faith play, as a lever to exert pressure on the state in favor of a state which is trying to defend its sovereign interests,” said Vassily Alekseevich Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, before the vote. 
The Chinese envoy echoed these sentiments, saying the council’s action marked a definitive end to eight years of diplomacy in one stroke.
Iranian Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani expressed gratitude to the four countries that voted against the sanctions, rejecting “the blunt instrument of pressure and intimidation.” He said they “have chosen to stand on the right side of history.”
Last month, France, Germany, and the UK triggered the “snapback mechanism,” which automatically reinstates all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. 
These sanctions include a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes, travel bans, and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology.
The snapback process is designed to be veto-proof unless the Security Council’s permanent members agree to block it. 
In recent weeks, intensified diplomacy between Iran and European countries has taken place, but no resolution has yet been reached. French President Emmanuel Macron, in an interview on Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, said the snapback was effectively a done deal.
German and European Union leaders claimed in a call on Wednesday that Iran had not taken the necessary steps to prevent sanctions from being reinstated. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the window for a diplomatic solution was closing quickly and stressed that Iran must cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), allowing inspections of all nuclear sites without delay.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded hours later, asserting that the reimposition of UN sanctions is “lacking any legal or logical justification.” 
He pointed to a recent agreement between Iran and the IAEA, mediated by Egypt, granting the agency access to all Iranian nuclear sites and requiring Tehran to report on the location of all its nuclear material.
Tensions are further complicated by a 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June, during which Israeli and U.S. forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
Using the snapback mechanism is likely to escalate tensions between Iran and Western powers. Iranian officials have previously pledged to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, emphasizing that Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the nuclear deal, affirms the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, resolves false allegations about it, and imposes strict verification measures. 
According to the statement, all previous Security Council resolutions from 2006 to 2009 against Iran were terminated under Resolution 2231, and the nuclear issue was scheduled to be removed from the Security Council’s agenda by September 2025.
The ministry also criticized the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel and the United States, calling them illegal and a violation of the UN Charter. 
It criticized the European countries for failing to condemn these actions and instead engaging in an illegal double violation by misusing the dispute resolution mechanism.
The statement noted that the European countries ignored Iran’s recent understanding with the IAEA, welcomed internationally, which undermined their primary 

justification for triggering the snapback, alleging Iran’s lack of cooperation. 
It also said that Iran’s reasonable proposals were disregarded on baseless pretexts as the Europeans pursued political ambitions from the start.
The ministry reaffirmed Iran’s efforts to keep diplomatic channels open but criticized the three countries for following the unilateral and illegal policies of the United States. It declared that the European countries’ move is illegal, unjustified, and provocative, severely damaging ongoing diplomatic processes.
Iran stated that full responsibility for any consequences arising from the reinstatement of sanctions rests with the U.S. and the three European countries, who distorted facts and pressured non-permanent Security Council members to side with them.
The statement warned that the snapback action, taken without consensus and against serious opposition from several Security Council members, weakens the council’s credibility, damages diplomacy, and undermines the nonproliferation regime.
It reaffirmed Iran’s peaceful nuclear program as a reflection of the Iranian people’s will for scientific and technological progress. The government reserved the right to respond proportionately to any illegal actions.
Iran called on responsible members of the international community to reject the European countries’ illegal snapback and avoid legitimizing it.
In his speech at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Iravani reiterated Iran’s firm position: Resolution 2231 must be implemented exactly as agreed. 
The timelines, he said, are binding commitments, not recommendations, which were negotiated with great difficulty and unanimously adopted by the council.
He called any European efforts to reinstate lifted sanctions “baseless” and a direct attack on international law and the council’s credibility.
Iravani described Resolution 2231 and the nuclear deal as the result of over a decade of difficult negotiations, which resolved concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and confirmed its peaceful nature. 
He said Iran had fully and sincerely implemented the agreement and submitted to the most rigorous IAEA inspections and controls, which no other country had accepted.
He criticized the United States for unilaterally abandoning the deal in 2018 and reimposing sanctions, in blatant defiance of the council. 
He said the European trio failed to meet their obligations, hiding behind empty promises and silently following Washington’s directives. 
Now, in what he called a blatant display of hypocrisy, they claimed Iran should be punished for actions taken after years of enduring their violations.
Iravani firmly rejected the August 28 snapback notice as procedurally invalid, politically biased, and legally void. 
He said the trio is bypassing the nuclear deal’s dispute resolution framework, thereby dismantling the very structure they claim to defend.
He said the snapback mechanism rewarded violators and punished those who adhere to the deal, turning justice upside down and weakening the council itself.
Iravani condemned the snapback attempt amid overt attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel and the United States, calling these bombings by Israel, a rogue regime, and the U.S., the custodian of the Nonproliferation Treaty, a clear violation of international law and the nonproliferation regime.
He lamented that instead of condemnation, these acts were met with silence or justification by the very states now lecturing Iran on its commitments, exposing blatant double standards.
Despite these challenges, Iran has not abandoned diplomacy, he said. The September 9 agreement with the IAEA in Cairo to resume cooperation was an important and forward-looking step. However, the U.S. and the trio rejected the opportunity, revealing the gap between their rhetoric and true intentions.
Iravani said they are talking about dialogue while suffocating it, claiming to support diplomacy but burying it under threats.
He said the snapback move undermines dialogue, rewards aggression, and sets a dangerous precedent.
He said the trio and the U.S., in coordination with Israel, are spreading false claims that Iran’s nuclear program threatens peace and security, which he called fabricated, adding Iran has not violated the nuclear deal, the Nonproliferation Treaty, or its safeguards commitments.
Iravani asserted that even the council’s neutrality had been compromised. 
The Security Council presidency, he said, ignored the requirement to consider the views of all Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) participants, including Iran, Russia, and China, before presenting the draft resolution.
He said this disregard violated the council’s impartiality and effectively endorsed the trio’s snapback attempt without ensuring accurate reflection of the positions of key members.
He described the process as coercion rather than consensus, resulting in a decision imposed on the council, not by it.
Iravani concluded with Iran’s resolute stance that the snapback was rushed, unnecessary, and illegal, and Iran is under no obligation to implement it.
He held the U.S. and the trio fully responsible for the severe consequences of their fabricated accusations and for enabling Israel’s criminal attacks on safeguarded facilities.
He said the snapback action, taken without consensus, weakened the Security Council, harmed diplomacy, and endangered the nonproliferation regime.
Iravani reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to its peaceful nuclear program, declaring it will not be destroyed by bombs, halted by sanctions, or diverted from its peaceful path.
He said diplomacy remains open, but Iran will decide with whom and on what basis it will engage.
Iravani criticized the council for squandering the opportunity for dialogue and consensus, saying Russia and China had offered a balanced initiative to extend Resolution 2231 and preserve diplomacy, which was rejected by the U.S. and the trio in favor of escalation and division.
He said the contradiction between their words and actions showed their true intention was not diplomacy but confrontation, for which they must bear full responsibility.
He warned there should be no doubt that Iran will steadfastly defend its sovereignty, rights, and peaceful nuclear program, refusing to succumb to coercion, intimidation, or the transformation of the council into an instrument of injustice.