Iran: Sanctions will complicate nuclear issue, says Gharibabadi

The reimposition of international sanctions on Iran will complicate the situation with its nuclear program, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, according to state media.

Gharibabadi was speaking ahead of Friday's meeting with three European countries, a group known as E3 (Britain, France and Germany). The E3 has stated that if no progress is made by the end of August on Iran's nuclear program, it will activate the 'snapback' mechanism – a process by which UN sanctions against Tehran, which were lifted as part of the 2015 agreement in exchange for restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program, will be reimposed.

'We will express our position regarding the E3's comments on the snapback mechanism, which we think lacks any legal basis,' Gharibabadi said, referring to Friday's meeting in Istanbul.

The three European powers, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear program -- from which the US withdrew in 2018.

'It has been seven years since the nuclear agreement has not been implemented by the Europeans after the US withdrawal from it. How can they claim that Iran is not following the agreement when they themselves have not done so?', added Gharibabadi.

Tehran denies that it aims to develop nuclear weapons and states that its nuclear program has only peaceful purposes.

Source: AΠE-MΠE - Reuters