Ahead of UN vote on sanctions, Iran claims it made ‘fair’ proposal to avert snapback

Deputy foreign minister says move is ‘politically biased and politically motivated’ and a ‘misuse of mechanism’ in 2015 deal

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that he had put forward a “fair and balanced” nuclear proposal to European powers to prevent the return of UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran is “introducing a creative, fair and balanced proposal which addresses genuine concerns and is mutually beneficial,” Araghchi said on X.

He added that the proposal was made on Thursday to Britain, France and Germany — known collectively as the E3 — as well as the European Union.

“Turning this idea into action can be prompt and resolve the respective bottom lines to avert a crisis,” Araghchi said, arguing that “Iran cannot be the sole responsible actor.”

The comments were made as the United Nations Security Council was set to vote Friday on reimposing biting economic sanctions on Tehran over its contested nuclear program. Diplomatic sources expect that Iran does not have the nine votes needed to maintain the status quo and prevent the punitive measures from being reimposed by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in Geneva: “What Europeans are doing is politically biased and politically motivated… They are wrong on different levels by trying to misuse the mechanism embedded in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that European powers will likely reimpose international sanctions on Iran by the end of the month after their latest round of talks with Tehran aimed at preventing them were deemed not serious.

The E3, signatories to a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement that lifted international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, claim Tehran has reneged on its commitments under the deal.

The accord was intended to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a goal that Israel and Western powers have long accused it of harboring, but which it has denied.

The JCPOA deal has been hanging by a thread ever since the United States withdrew from it in 2018 during Donald Trump’s first term and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

The withdrawal prompted Iran in 2019 to begin rolling back on its own commitments, including limiting access to its facilities by inspectors from the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

In June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran targeting nuclear and military sites and senior commanders and nuclear scientists, saying it was forced to act to end Iran’s existential nuclear and missile threat. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks that killed dozens in Israel.

The United States briefly joined Israel’s campaign for a series of strikes on key nuclear facilities before a ceasefire was reached after 12 days of war.

Last week, Iran agreed on a new framework for working with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after it suspended cooperation following the Israeli and US strikes.

The IAEA has warned that Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country that enriches uranium to 60 percent – far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 deal, and a short step from the 90 percent required for a weapon.

An offer by the E3 to put off the snapback for up to six months to enable serious negotiations is conditional on Iran restoring access for UN nuclear inspectors — who would also seek to account for Iran’s large stock of enriched uranium — and engaging in talks with the US.

Khatibzadeh said all options are on the table if diplomacy fails.

“If Europeans go on this path, they are making the level of unpredictability to the highest level possible, and they are responsible for…any possible future risks,” he said.