A Wall Street Journal reporter claimed that Iran told European nations for the first time in Geneva that it would not only withdraw from the NPT but also change its nuclear doctrine if a snapback was triggered.
Lawrence Norman claimed that three European countries recently told Iran that future negotiations with President Trump should include ballistic missiles, but that Iran told them that would not happen.
The snapback mechanism, “or the mechanism to address violations of the JCPOA by Iran,” is a mechanism that, over several stages, could lead to the reimposition of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. This mechanism is outlined in Articles 36 and 37 of the JCPOA. The snapback mechanism is the final stage in the resumption of sanctions, with the matter being referred to the Security Council and resulting in the potential re-imposition of six major sanctions resolutions, the most high-profile of which Resolution 1929 deserves it.
Before reaching the snapback mechanism stage, disputes between the parties are first discussed and considered by a special committee based on the enforcement agreement defined in the JCPOA. If no solution is found there, the issue will be negotiated at a meeting of foreign ministers. If no result is reached, a tripartite arbitration involving the European Troika, Iran, and a neutral third country will be established. If this approach also proves ineffective, the dispute will be referred to the UN Security Council.
At the Security Council, Iran could also be invited to participate in discussions without voting rights. The 15 Council members then have 30 days to issue a new resolution on the issue. At this stage, permanent members of the Security Council can exercise their veto power, but if for some reason a resolution is not passed within a month, the six resolutions imposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran will be automatically reinstated. This issue is not subject to a vote, so members cannot veto it.
Now that the JCPOA is effectively paralyzed and serves no real purpose, Iranian officials have indicated that a snapback mechanism may be triggered by the European side. The European parties to the agreement, unlike the US parties, remain in the currently defunct JCPOA, but under pressure from the US and the influence of the new hardline government, the snapback mechanism and six There is a possibility that Cambodia will move forward with restoring the United Nations Security Council. Sanctions against Iran.
Activating the JCPOA Sunset Clause and Snapback Mechanism
Next October, the JCPOA’s sunset clause will take effect, and Security Council Resolution 2231, which oversees restrictions imposed on Iran, will also expire. As a result, European countries may invoke snapback mechanisms to prevent the lifting of restrictions on Iran under Resolution 2231. In response, Iran said that if the snapback mechanism were triggered, Tehran’s response would be to withdraw from the NPT.
The dispute over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and cooperation with the IAEA enters a more complex and difficult phase following a new resolution issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors against Iran in late November this year. , the road was opened. This is the path to the hostile and dangerous path of activating the snapback mechanism. In a special press interview, Kazem Ghalibabadi, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s deputy minister for legal affairs and international affairs, who is in charge of negotiations with the IAEA, announced that Iran would withdraw from the NPT if the snapback mechanism was triggered.
In addition, on December 7, Majid Takht Ravansi, Iran’s Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs (Political Affairs), stated during a session of the Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee regarding negotiations between Iran and three European countries that “the snapback mechanism has been activated.” If that happens, withdrawing from the NPT is one of our options.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai said in his weekly press conference on Monday, January 20, that the current Iranian regime would respond reciprocally if the so-called snapback mechanism is triggered.
Basically, he stressed, there is no justification or reason for Iran to continue complying with any part of the agreement if that were to happen.
conclusion
Invoking the snapback mechanism by the Europeans against Iran, which would lead to the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic, would be a strategic mistake by the European troika. This takes into account the largest existing primary and secondary sanctions that the United States has imposed against the Iranian people in recent years, sanctions that place Iran under a harsher sanctions regime than before the JCPOA, contrary to Resolution 2231. This step then serves the West’s goal of forcing Iran to retreat on the nuclear issue. Rather, it would seriously hinder the Iranian government’s willingness to continue cooperating with the IAEA and negotiating over its peaceful nuclear program.
Furthermore, Iran’s possible withdrawal from the NPT would bring an end to 50 years of exchanges and cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, which would be seen as a complete failure by both the West and the IAEA. It will be. IAEA officials and European Troika decision-makers therefore need to adopt a constructive approach to cooperation with Iran and avoid excessive demands and hostile policies.
The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Germany. Former US President Donald Trump illegally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, but current US President Joe Biden has signaled he is open to reinstating it.
Russia, the UK, Germany, China, the US, and France have been in talks with Iran since April 2021 to revive the agreement.
JCPOA relief negotiations began in April 2021 in Vienna, the capital of Austria. The purpose was to assess the US’ seriousness about returning to the agreement and lifting anti-Iranian sanctions.
Negotiations have been stalled since August due to Washington’s stubborn stance that it would not lift all sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the former Trump administration. Iran insists that the other side needs to provide some guarantee that it will continue its commitments if a deal is reached.
Member of Parliament/
