Iranian Foreign Minister: Our country does not fear negotiations or war and is prepared for all possibilities
After the three European countries (Britain, France, and Germany) activated what is known as the "snapback mechanism", Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that his country is doing everything in its power "to prevent the re-imposition of UN sanctions and to show that activating the snapback mechanism is illegal".
This came during a television interview with the Iranian minister on Wednesday, in which he stated: "Iran does not fear negotiations nor does it fear war, and it is also prepared for all possibilities if necessary".
Araghchi announced that Tehran will not resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency "as long as the negotiations have not been completed yet", pointing out that the agency "acknowledged the need for a new cooperation framework".
He also noted that both Russia and China have submitted a draft resolution regarding sanctions to the Security Council, emphasizing that Iran "is continuously consulting with them".
These statements come in response to the "European troika" activating a mechanism that allows for the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran according to the 2015 nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), noting that the deadline for reactivating those sanctions ends next October.
For its part, the United States welcomed the European step, while also expressing its openness to direct talks with Tehran.
It is worth mentioning that nuclear negotiations between the two sides stopped in mid-June, following an Israeli attack on Iranian facilities that Washington participated in planning.
The United States had withdrawn from the nuclear agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's administration and re-imposed its sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to roll back some of its commitments under the agreement, especially in the area of uranium enrichment.
Meanwhile, Western countries continue to express doubts about the objectives of the Iranian nuclear program, accusing it of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran firmly denies, asserting that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful civilian purposes.
