Iran says European countries will ‘lose it all’ if they reimpose nuclear sanctions

ANKARA

Iran on Sunday strongly rejected any attempt by the UK, Germany, and France to reimpose sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, saying they have no legal, political, or moral right to do so.

In a statement on the US social media company X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “It is not just that the E3 has no legal, political, or moral entitlement to invoke ‘snapback,’ and that even if they did, ‘use or lose it’ doesn't work.”

“It's that the correct expression for the E3's dilemma is ‘use it *and* lose it.’ Or better yet, ‘use it and lose it *all*’,” he added.

The E3 countries announced last month they had triggered the "snapback" mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which will restore sanctions in 30 days if Iran does not meet its obligations.

Under the deal, from which the US pulled out during US President Donald Trump’s first term, Iran was granted sanctions relief in return for limits on its nuclear program.

Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following US and Israeli attacks on the country in June, accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of bias against Tehran.

Iran was engaged in Oman-mediated nuclear negotiations with the US when Israel launched a surprise attack on Tehran on June 13, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites as well as senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. The 12-day conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.

The West wants Iran to return to negotiations on the future of its nuclear program, as well as international inspections of its facilities.