TEHRAN, September 1. /TASS/. Pakistan, Russia, and China oppose the use by European countries of the mechanism for the automatic reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced.
"A number of countries [that adopted the Tianjin Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which condemns the Israeli and US strikes on Iran] are members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia as permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Pakistan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Of course, we share their position. All three countries oppose the snapback mechanism and the restoration of Security Council sanctions that were lifted [in accordance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]," the IRNA news agency quoted the diplomat as saying.
Gharibabadi called the provision in the Tianjin summit declaration, which condemns Israeli and US aggression against Iran, strong and significant.
Earlier, the EU three countries (the UK, Germany, and France) announced their plan to activate a snapback mechanism that would reinstate UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran. These sanctions were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, but could be reinstated if Iran does not agree to a new deal that would reduce its uranium enrichment to zero. Iranian authorities rejected this demand and threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if sanctions are reinstated. On October 18, after the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which legally enshrined the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, European countries will be able to activate this mechanism.
In 2015, Iran and the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the US, and France signed the JCPOA, ending a crisis that began in 2002 when the West accused Tehran of developing nuclear weapons. However, in 2018, US President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the agreement and reinstated all US sanctions against Iran. In response, Tehran announced in 2020 that it would reduce its commitments under the JCPOA and restrict access by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to nuclear facilities. The agency continued its inspections until the recent escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025. The IAEA's failure to condemn the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities drew criticism within Iran. On July 2, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA.