WANA (Jul 20) – Iran’s Foreign Minister rejected the claims by the three European countries regarding the activation of mechanisms under the 2015 nuclear deal, stating: “The E3 cannot and must not be allowed to undermine the credibility of the United Nations Security Council by abusing a resolution they themselves have failed to uphold.”

 

On Sunday night, July 20, 2025, Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced in a tweet that he had sent letters to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the President of the Security Council, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and all members of the Security Council. In these letters, he outlined Iran’s reasons for why the three European countries lack any legal, political, or moral legitimacy to invoke mechanisms under the JCPOA or UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (adopted in 2015).

 

He added: “Through their actions and statements—including their political and material support for the recent unlawful and unjustified military aggression by Israel and the United States, their violation of the fundamental principles of the JCPOA, and their ongoing and prolonged failure to fulfill their obligations—the E3 have effectively forfeited their status as ‘participants’ in the agreement. Therefore, any attempt on their part to revive the annulled Security Council resolutions is legally null and void.”

European Troika's foreign ministers / WANA News Agency

European Troika’s foreign ministers / WANA News Agency

Araghchi emphasized that following the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA, Iran fully exhausted all dispute resolution mechanisms embedded in the agreement and only then began taking gradual remedial steps in accordance with Article 36 of the JCPOA. Throughout this process, Iran made extensive efforts to persuade the remaining parties to return to their commitments. “However,” he stated, “not only did the E3 fail to uphold their own obligations, but they also actively cooperated with the U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ campaign—and have now played a role in direct aggression against our people.”

 

The Iranian Foreign Minister continued: “Actors with such a track record can never credibly claim ‘good faith’. The E3 cannot and must not be allowed to exploit a resolution they have failed to honor, in order to undermine the credibility of the Security Council. They should follow the same advice they gave the United States in their joint letter dated 20 August 2020: ‘to refrain from any action that could deepen divisions within the Security Council or have a serious negative impact on its functioning.’”

 

Araghchi concluded: “As I emphasized in my letter, Iran has demonstrated its capacity to counter any form of aggression or so-called ‘dirty work’ rooted in delusion. But it has also consistently remained open to meaningful diplomacy conducted in good faith—and will respond accordingly.”