Iran’s Foreign Minister slams European powers over support for Israeli aggression and breach of nuclear deal obligations
Iran rejects E3's JCPOA authority, citing violations & alignment with US/Israel. FM Araghchi warns against UNSC misuse, vows resilience but openness to "good faith" diplomacy amid escalating nuclear deal tensions.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Sunday that the United Kingdom, France, and Germany (the E3) have "no legal, political, or moral standing" to invoke mechanisms related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231, citing what he called their repeated violations and recent alignment with U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran.
In a post on the X platform, Araghchi announced that he had sent a formal letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the President of the Security Council, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and other UNSC members, outlining his government's objections to the E3's conduct and asserting that any attempt by them to reinstate previously terminated UNSC resolutions is “null and void.”
Accusations of Partiality and Failure to Uphold Commitments
Araghchi’s letter accuses the E3 of having “relinquished their role as participants in the JCPOA” through a series of actions and statements, including what he described as “political and material support to the recent unprovoked and illegal military aggression of the Israeli regime and the U.S.” He further charged that the E3 have not only rejected the central tenets of the nuclear accord but also “failed, consistently and deliberately, to uphold their own commitments.”
He added, “Actors with such a record ought to be the last to claim ‘good faith.’”
Iran’s Position on the JCPOA and Resolution 2231
Referencing the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, Araghchi reiterated that Iran had initially exhausted all formal dispute resolution mechanisms before gradually activating remedial steps under Paragraph 36 of the accord. He insisted that Tehran acted with restraint and made serious diplomatic efforts to encourage the remaining parties to return to full compliance.
“The E3 have reneged on their commitments and actively contributed to the so-called U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ policy,” Araghchi wrote, adding that their recent involvement in military actions “against our people” further undermines their credibility.
Warning Against Undermining the UNSC
Araghchi expressed particular concern about what he described as a potential misuse of UNSC Resolution 2231. “The E3 cannot and should not be allowed to undermine the credibility of the UN Security Council by abusing a resolution to which they themselves have not been committed,” he warned.
He reminded the E3 of their own 2020 letter to the U.S., in which they advised Washington to “refrain from any action that would only deepen divisions in the Security Council or that would have serious adverse consequences on its work.”
A Call for Responsible Diplomacy
In concluding his remarks, Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to engage in meaningful diplomacy while asserting its resilience in the face of external pressure. “Iran has shown that it is capable of defeating any delusional 'dirty work',” he wrote, “but has always been prepared to reciprocate meaningful diplomacy in good faith.”
The statement underscores deepening tensions between Iran and European powers as disputes over the nuclear deal and regional security continue to escalate.
