Iran wants ‘snapback’ erased from nuclear deal

TEHRAN: Iran wants to remove a clause from a 2015 nuclear deal that allows for UN sanctions against it to be reinstated, a senior official has said, hinting Tehran would be open to negotiations on the issue.

The agreement between the Islamic republic and six major powers had provided for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for stringent checks on Tehran’s nuclear programme and guarantees that it could not seek to acquire a nuclear weapon.

The text also contains a "snapback" mechanism that could be triggered in case of "significant non-performance" of its commitments by Iran.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump last year attempted to trigger the mechanism, but the move was rejected, as the US had unilaterally withdrawn from the nuclear deal in 2018.