Iran sought on Friday to play down the potential impact of the so-called “snapback” mechanism, which allows for the automatic reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, unless a diplomatic solution is reached by the end of August.
Hossein-Ali Haji Deligani, a member of the Iranian parliament’s Article 90 Committee, dismissed the measure as largely symbolic, describing it as “a weapon without bullets” that carries more psychological than practical weight.
Speaking to the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Deligani argued that Britain, Germany, and France had already exhausted the tool in previous rounds of pressure, leaving it with “no new capacity to inflict damage” on Iran’s economy.
Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the 2015 nuclear deal and expires in October, any signatory may reimpose sanctions. Neither China nor Russia would be able to block the step, which obliges all UN member states to enforce restrictions on uranium enrichment and ballistic missile development.
However, Deligani noted that many of these provisions had already been applied for years, and the snapback would not extend to Iranian oil or medicine exports.
China pushes back
Beijing, meanwhile, expressed firm opposition to the European move. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated China’s preference for a political and diplomatic solution, rejecting the use of sanctions as leverage.
The statement came in response to an AFP inquiry following remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran was working with both China and Russia to prevent the Europeans from restoring sanctions lifted under the 2015 accord.
European ultimatum
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany sent a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, warning that they would invoke the snapback unless Iran complies with its nuclear commitments by the end of August.
They stressed their determination to use “all available diplomatic tools” to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.
In an interview with Iranian state television, Araghchi called the threat “negative” and vowed to resist. “If they proceed, we have tools to respond, and we will reveal them in due time,” he said.
While acknowledging that renewed sanctions could complicate matters, he downplayed fears of significant economic fallout.
Last month, he wrote to the UN arguing that the European trio lacked the legitimacy to trigger the mechanism, a claim the three foreign ministers firmly rejected in their latest letter.
