Iran warns Europeans of possible ‘irreversible consequences’ from reimposing sanctions

PARIS: Iran’s foreign minister warned Britain, France and Germany on Monday that a decision to trigger a UN mechanism reimposing sanctions on Tehran could lead to an irreversible escalation of tensions.

Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying a 2015 nuclear pact, the three European powers could reimpose United Nations sanctions against Tehran before October 18, known in diplomatic circles as the “snapback mechanism”.

“Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA (nuclear pact) signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences — not only the end of Europe’s role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote in a column in French weekly magazine Le Point.

US President Donald Trump exited Tehran’s 2015 nuclear accord with six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed tough sanctions that have devastated Iran’s economy. The European powers are not part of current negotiations between Iran and the United States, the fourth round of which ended in Oman on Sunday.

But the three powers have sought to coordinate closely with Washington with a view to whether and when they should use the snapback mechanism to raise pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.