Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran would not respond to pressure over its nuclear activity and that the time had come for the West to choose between “cooperation or confrontation,” as the potential return of European sanctions draws near.
“We believe that diplomacy can solve the nuclear dispute with the West,” Araghchi said in comments broadcast on Iranian television.
His remarks came as a deadline approaches for the possible “snapback” of UN sanctions, a process initiated in August by Britain, France, and Germany. The three European powers (E3) accused Tehran of failing to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal, which was intended to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The move has prompted warnings from Tehran. On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council threatened to “effectively suspend cooperation” with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if UN sanctions were reimposed.
Parliamentary security committee spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei warned that the recent agreement signed with the IAEA in Cairo “could end” if sanctions are restored. The 10 September Cairo deal was intended to resume technical cooperation and inspections of nuclear facilities, but Iran has warned that a snapback of sanctions would mean the end of the “practical steps” outlined in the accord.
Macron sees sanctions as likely
Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was likely that European powers would reimpose international sanctions by the end of September, citing what he described as a “lack of seriousness” from Tehran in its talks with Europeans.
“Yes, I think so, because the latest news from the Iranians is not serious,” Macron said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 when asked if sanctions would be activated. He noted that while Araghchi had “tried to present a reasonable offer,” it “did not find support from other members of the Iranian government.”
In an apparent response, Araghchi said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had presented a “reasonable and actionable plan” to the E3 to “avoid an unnecessary and avoidable crisis in the coming days.”
“Instead of a substantive discussion on its merits, Iran is now faced with excuses and outright evasion, including the absurd claim that the Foreign Ministry does not represent the entire political establishment,” he wrote.
UN Security Council vote
On Friday, the UN Security Council rejected a draft resolution aimed at permanently preventing the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, leaving an eight-day window for Tehran and European powers to try to reach a deal on a delay.
The draft, which sought to keep the sanctions lifted, failed to get the required votes, with nine members opposing, four in favour (Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria), and two abstaining.
The 15-member council had to vote on the resolution after the E3 triggered the 30-day snapback process on 28 August.
Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told reporters after the vote that the “door of diplomacy is not closed,” but that Iran would decide “with whom and on what basis it will deal, not the adversaries.” He added that the divided vote showed “there is no consensus in the council.”
The E3 have offered to delay the reimposition of sanctions for up to six months to allow for talks on a long-term agreement, provided Tehran allows the IAEA to resume inspections, addresses concerns about its enriched uranium stockpile, and engages in talks with the United States.
“Without these basic conditions being met, there is no clear path to a quick diplomatic solution,” Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the Security Council. “We stand ready to engage further, diplomatically, in the coming week and beyond, in pursuit of resolving differences.”
Any delay to the snapback requires a Security Council resolution. All UN sanctions will be reimposed if no agreement on an extension is reached by the end of 27 September.
US Acting Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said Washington’s ‘no’ vote did not “preclude the possibility of genuine diplomacy,” adding that President Donald Trump “continues to affirm the United States’ continued readiness to engage in meaningful, direct, and time-bound dialogue with Iran.”
Russia and China, both parties to the 2015 deal, have opposed the European move. China’s UN ambassador said the attempt to reimpose sanctions “harms diplomatic efforts… and may even lead to catastrophic consequences that are impossible to predict.”
