TEHRAN, September 1. /TASS/. The foreign ministers of Iran, China, and Russia have sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging the Security Council to reject the E3 initiative (the UK, Germany, and France) to reinstate anti-Iran sanctions.
"We strongly urge the members of the UN Security Council to reject the claims of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on allegedly invoking the ‘snapback’ mechanism and reaffirm their commitment to the principles of international law and multilateral diplomacy," reads the document, published by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X.
Iran, China, and Russia also called on the E3 to abandon their destructive policy toward Tehran and to refrain from actions that would exacerbate discord within the Security Council. According to the letter, the E3’s actions contradict UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which lifted restrictions on Iran in 2015 under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the snapback initiative constitutes an abuse of the Council and an attempt to mislead its members.
On August 28, the UK, Germany, and France launched the snapback mechanism. The E3 also announced their willingness to continue negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program for 30 days to extend the provisions of UNSC Resolution 2231, which lifted sanctions on Tehran and is set to expire on October 18.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry described the move as "a provocative and unjustified escalation," promising that Tehran would respond "appropriately" to the E3’s actions.