BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said that the so-called “European trio” — the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — has no legal authority to trigger the UN Security Council’s “snapback” mechanism to reinstate sanctions against Iran, Trend reports.
Speaking in Kyrgyzstan during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Aref said the proposal put forward by the three European countries is, in effect, directed against Iran’s nuclear program.
In January 2016, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program was implemented between Iran and the P5+1 group — the United States, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany. In May 2018, the United States announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran later that year. In 2020, Iran declared it would no longer be bound by any restrictions under the agreement.
Under Articles 36 and 37 of the JCPOA, if one signatory claims another is violating the deal, a series of dispute resolution steps can be initiated. If no resolution is reached, the complaining party can take the matter to the UN Security Council. If a complaint against Iran is raised and adopted at the Council, international sanctions against Iran could be reinstated — and Council members could also authorize military action against the country.