Iran’s deputy FM says reimposition of UN sanctions would complicate nuclear talks

By Reuters 22 July 2025, 11:27 am

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This photo released November 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility near Natanz, Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

Reimposing international sanctions on Iran would make the “situation” over its nuclear program more complex, state media quotes Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi as saying.

His comments come ahead of a meeting on Friday with three European states known as the E3 – Britain, France and Germany.

The E3 have said that if no progress is reached by the end of August over Iran’s nuclear program, they will invoke a “snapback” mechanism — a process that would reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under a 2015 deal in return for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.

“We will express our position regarding the E3’s comments on the snapback mechanism, which we think lacks any legal ground,” Gharibabadi says, referring to Friday’s meeting in Istanbul.

“Nonetheless, our effort will be to see if we can find common solutions to manage the situation.”

The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

“It has been seven years that the nuclear deal is not being implemented by the Europeans following the US departure from it. How can they argue that Iran is not following the deal when they themselves have not done so?” Gharibabadi adds.