Reapplying sanctions excludes Europeans from negotiations: Baghaei
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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected European threats to reimpose sanctions through the snapback mechanism, calling it illegal and illogical.
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Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an undated photo (IRNA)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that the decision to activate the snapback mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on Iran is “neither legal nor logical,” adding that the continuous inclusion of Iran’s nuclear program on the UN Security Council’s agenda “lacks any justification.”
In an interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Baghaei made clear that Iran’s nuclear program “has always been and remains peaceful,” despite the severe damage inflicted on it as a result of “US and Israeli aggression.”
Baghaei stated that “no country can be asked to remain in an international agreement while being deprived of its rights and simultaneously forced to fulfill its obligations,” warning that any attempt to reimpose sanctions on Iran “will exclude Europeans from any negotiation track.”
Tehran has the right to demand proof of credibility
He said that Europeans “must review their behavior if they want to be reliable partners,” emphasizing that Tehran has the right to demand that other parties prove their credibility.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also stated that Iran “is ready for dialogue to reach the best solutions,” but warned that the threat of invoking the snapback mechanism “will be neither useful nor constructive.”
Baghaei further noted that Tehran “does not need anyone’s approval regarding enrichment,” reminding that Article Four of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty guarantees this right to all member states.
Baghaei concluded by stressing that “the notion that Iran has weakened and that the West is in a position of strength at the negotiating table is nothing but an illusion.”
