Araghchi: Snapback Will Fail Just Like Military Strikes
WANA (Sep 27) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, following the UN Security Council session, said: “Military strikes have failed. Snapback will also fail. The only solution is dialogue.”
On early Saturday, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, spoke to reporters after the UN Security Council meeting.
Araghchi said: “The Council has just voted on a draft resolution put forward by China and Russia to give diplomacy another chance. Under U.S. pressure, the Council rejected this draft. This is the second time in a week that diplomacy has been blocked.”
Referring to his speech at the Council, he noted: “For more than twenty years, Iran has been a responsible member of the NPT. We pursued our inalienable right to peaceful nuclear energy with full transparency. In 2015, after two years of negotiations, the JCPOA was concluded. This agreement was unanimously endorsed by Resolution 2231. The IAEA issued 15 consecutive reports confirming Iran’s full compliance. No other nuclear program has ever been subject to such rigorous inspections.
Diplomacy Against the Snapback Mechanism . JCPOA
Yet in 2018, the United States withdrew from the deal and violated Resolution 2231—without any legal basis, without any justification. Iran remained fully compliant for one year. Only after the three European countries failed to uphold their commitments did Iran adopt legitimate and gradual remedial measures.
Today’s crisis is the direct result of the U.S. withdrawal and Europe’s inaction. The U.S. betrayed diplomacy. The three Europeans buried it. For years, the U.S. and the E3 have distorted Iran’s peaceful program. They echoed the false claims of Israel—while Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the region, outside the NPT. This double standard is blatant and disgraceful.
Despite assassinations, sanctions, and bombings of IAEA-monitored facilities, Iran has not violated the JCPOA, the NPT, or its safeguards obligations. When the previous U.S. administration requested dialogue, Iran responded in good faith. Five rounds of talks were held. On the eve of the sixth, Israel—with U.S. backing—attacked nuclear facilities in Iran and killed our scientists, including women and children. This was state terrorism. It was never condemned by the E3.
Instead of diplomacy, the E3 pursued snapback. Iran, meanwhile, on September 9 in Cairo, signed a memorandum of understanding with the IAEA. This step was welcomed by the Agency and the international community. But in New York, all of Iran’s constructive proposals were ignored.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Addresses UN Security Council on Failed Russia-China Draft Resolution
WANA (Sep 27) – The UN Security Council session on Friday, convened to vote on a draft resolution by Russia and China aimed at extending the provisions of Resolution 2231, became the stage for a sharp intervention by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi began by thanking China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria for […]
Russia and China acted responsibly. They proposed extending Resolution 2231 for six months to preserve diplomacy. The U.S. and the E3 blocked it. Their words do not match their deeds. Their goal is confrontation, not dialogue.
Iran’s position on snapback is clear: it is illegal, invalid, and baseless.
The three European countries that themselves violated the deal cannot now claim a ‘significant non-performance.’ The restrictions under Resolution 2231 will permanently expire on October 18, 2025. Any attempt to revive or extend them is null and void.
We call on the President of the Security Council to declare today’s decision unlawful. We call on the Secretary-General to refrain from any role in reviving expired sanctions. Those who pursue this illegal path will bear full responsibility for damaging the UN’s credibility and for the humanitarian consequences for the people of Iran.
This dangerous precedent must not be established. If agreements can be violated at will, no country will be able to trust international commitments. If illegal actions replace law through sheer power, the Security Council will itself lose authority.
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Let me end with this: Military strikes have failed. Snapback will also fail. The only solution is dialogue. The JCPOA proved this. Iran will never bow to pressure. We only respond to respect. The choice is clear: escalation or diplomacy. Responsibility lies with those who broke their commitments and undermined international law.”
In response to a question on whether “there will be room for diplomacy after snapback,” Araghchi said: “As I stated in my remarks, triggering this mechanism is illegal and must be considered null and void. We do not believe it can affect the Iranian people, particularly their determination to defend their rights. The real question is what impact it will have on diplomacy. It closes the door on diplomacy. We have always been ready to engage in diplomacy, and we have proven it—when we negotiated the JCPOA, and when we negotiated with the United States before the attacks. I came here with clear proposals to give diplomacy more time, and I regret that these proposals were rejected by the other side.”
The Foreign Minister added: “We have already said that this action by the E3 and the Security Council’s decision will affect Iran’s cooperation with the Agency. I signed a very good agreement with the IAEA in Cairo to create a new framework for cooperation under the new circumstances. It is very unfortunate that if snapback is activated, this agreement with the Agency will also be lost and cannot be implemented.
Sadly, we have had a terrible experience negotiating with the United States. Once in 2015 we negotiated and reached a good agreement—an agreement the whole world celebrated as a diplomatic achievement. But what happened? The U.S. withdrew and reimposed sanctions. This year, once again, we were asked to negotiate, and we agreed. What happened? Right in the middle of negotiations, we were attacked. We therefore have no reason to trust negotiations. What the Leader said is absolutely right: negotiating with the United States is in fact a dead end. Diplomacy never dies, but it will certainly be harder and more complicated than before.”*
When asked about the proposals he had presented, Araghchi responded: “I will elaborate on those proposals at the right time. Some of them are still under consideration. We demonstrated our goodwill by offering solid and workable proposals that could have resolved this issue without the need for tension or confrontation. It is very regrettable that my proposals were not positively received, and I hope that in the remaining hours there will still be an opportunity for them. As I said, the details will be presented at the appropriate time.”
