Araghchi made the remarks in a Saturday meeting with ambassadors, chargés d'affaires, and heads of foreign and international missions residing in Tehran.
"If European countries move towards the use of the snapback mechanism, the settlement of Iran’s nuclear case will be more complicated and more difficult,” he said.
He warned that the European trio of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany (E3) are making a grave miscalculation by assuming that the snapback mechanism affords them strategic leverage over Iran’s nuclear file.
He noted that Iran was in contact with the E3 at the same time that it was engaged in indirect nuclear talks with the United States, reiterating that European countries still “can play a role in diplomacy.”
The path of negotiations and diplomacy will become more difficult if the snapback mechanism is invoked, the Iranian foreign minister explained.
Snapback would bring into force six previous Iran-related Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010. It would reinstate the expired UN arms embargo that barred countries from supplying, selling, or transferring most military equipment to Iran and prohibited Tehran from exporting any weapons.
It would also impose export controls, travel bans, asset freezes, and other restrictions on individuals, entities, and banks.
Iran is currently under the “maximum pressure” by the US government, which has imposed the most intensive sanctions ever on the country.
Officials say Tehran has weathered multiple currency shocks and oil sanctions, and that restoring United Nations sanctions would have limited additional impact.
No halt in Iran’s cooperation with IAEA
Araghchi pointed out that Iran has not stopped its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but will continue bilateral cooperation “in a new form,” managed by the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
The top Iranian nuclear negotiator added that the country is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has been cooperating with the IAEA.
The SNSC will study every IAEA’s request for the continuation of cooperation with Iran on a case-by-case basis and will make decisions based on safety and security concerns, he explained.
Late in June, Iran’s Constitutional Council approved a parliamentary bill on suspending cooperation with the IAEA after its report against Iran’s nuclear program became a lightning rod for the Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic.
Citing recent violations of Iran’s sovereignty and attacks on its territorial integrity, the bill mandates the government to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA.
The suspension, the bill reads, will remain in effect until full assurances are provided regarding Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly the security of its nuclear sites and scientists, as well as the Islamic Republic’s inherent rights under Article 4 of the NPT, including its right to uranium enrichment.
No option but a return to diplomacy
Araghchi once again reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to the settlement of issues through diplomatic channels.
"There is no way but to return to diplomacy and a negotiated and agreed solution. The recent [Israeli-US] war has proven this even more,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
He said Iran remains open to building mutual trust through diplomacy. However, other parties must first demonstrate that their interest in negotiations is rooted in a genuine commitment to dialogue, not simply a tactical facade to advance ulterior motives, he added.
Negotiations must respect Iran’s enrichment rights
Iran’s foreign minister emphasized that any nuclear negotiations must safeguard Tehran’s right to uranium enrichment.
Iran will never accept an agreement that excludes its enrichment rights, he reiterated.
He described enrichment as “one of the great scientific achievements of Iranian scientists” and underscored Iran’s determination to protect it.
Araghchi noted that the country has faced intense pressure to preserve its enrichment rights.
He further stressed that any negotiations with the West would be limited strictly to the nuclear issue, with no other topics on the agenda.
The Israeli regime launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran on June 13, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders and nuclear scientists in addition to civilians.
On June 22, the United States officially joined the war against Iran by launching attacks on three nuclear facilities in the country in violation of the United Nations Charter and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Israeli strikes came as Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect negotiations, mediated by Oman, over Iran’s nuclear program since April, and were preparing to hold fresh talks in the Omani capital on June 15, which was cancelled.
Press TV