ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday said he presented a “reasonable and actionable plan” to European powers who are threatening to reimpose sanctions on Tehran by the end of this month, should the Islamic republic fail to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program.
"On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I yesterday presented a reasonable and actionable plan to E3/EU counterparts to avert an unnecessary and avoidable crisis in the coming days," Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.
Araghchi said he held a joint telephone conversation with his French, German, and British counterparts - collectively known as the E3 - as well as the European Union’s top diplomat on Wednesday to discuss the nuclear issue and the lifting of “unjust sanctions,” saying it was time for the Europeans to show “seriousness and faith in diplomacy.”
France, Germany and the United Kingdom late last month initiated a 30-day process known as the snapback mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions, a decision Iran has described as “unjustified, illegal and lacking any legal basis."
The snapback mechanism is a powerful diplomatic tool embedded in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that allows for the automatic reimposition of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran if it violates its nuclear commitments.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday told Israeli media that the snapback sanctions would be reimposed and that Tehran has not shown serious commitment to reach a deal on its nuclear program.
Araghchi urged the UN Security Council "to intervene and choose diplomacy over confrontation. The stakes could not be higher."
The European powers have upped their pressure on Tehran to adhere to nuclear commitments ever since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, which ended when the United States launched its own strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and subsequently brokered a ceasefire.
Before the war with Israel, Iran held five rounds of Oman-mediated indirect nuclear talks with the US, which had pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018.
In his post on X, Araghchi said Tehran has done its part by signing an agreement with the global nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that "opens a new chapter of cooperation, in line with our domestic and international obligations, despite the unlawful bombing of our safeguarded nuclear facilities."
He said that Iran has already presented "a creative, fair, and balanced proposal which addresses genuine concerns and is mutually beneficial. Turning this idea into action can prompt and resolve the respective bottom lines to avert a crisis."
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