Joint Iran, Russia, China Letter Condemns European Sanctions Bid

Date: 01 September 2025 - 22:26

News ID: ۱۴۳۰۷۷

TEHRAN — Iran, Russia, and China have jointly written to the United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council to denounce recent European efforts to reactivate the controversial “snapback” sanctions mechanism.

The trio strongly argued that those states failing to meet their obligations have no right to benefit from agreements they themselves have undermined.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared the joint letter on his official X account, emphasizing the legal and political flaws of the European move.

“Our joint letter with my colleagues, the Foreign Ministers of China and Russia, signed in Tianjin reflects the firm position that the European attempt to invoke ‘snapback’ is legally baseless and politically destructive,” Araghchi wrote.

The letter underscores that the U.S. was the first party to violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, while European countries subsequently chose to align themselves with unlawful sanctions rather than uphold their own commitments.

“By declaring the E3’s move null and void, we have placed on record that no party can erase the sequence of events: it was the United States that first violated the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, and it was Europe that subsequently chose to align with unlawful sanctions instead of honoring its own commitments,” Araghchi explained.

Highlighting a core principle of international law, the letter stresses: “Rights and obligations cannot be separated. States that fail to fulfill their own commitments cannot claim the benefits of an agreement they have undermined.”

The statement reinforces the importance of credibility in multilateral diplomacy, warning that selective compliance and procedural misuse threaten the very foundations of international collective security.

The letter also critiques the European trio’s approach as detrimental

to the UN Security Council’s primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security.

“What the E3 proposes betrays this mission, turning the Council into an instrument of coercion rather than a guardian of global stability,” the letter states.

Calling for a return to respect for international law, the three countries urge the Security Council to focus on restoring legal norms to enable effective diplomacy.

“The urgent task before us is to restore international law and build upon it to give diplomacy the ground it needs to succeed,” the letter concludes.