WANA (Oct 22) – Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clarified on Wednesday that the term “snapback” does not appear in the JCPOA text and stated that all available tools must be used to safeguard the country’s rights, emphasizing the importance of both military capabilities, including missiles, and diplomatic negotiations.

 

Speaking to students at Razavi University of Islamic Sciences in Mashhad, Baghaei described it as a fabricated concept designed to allow the other party to activate a dispute resolution process and potentially restore UN Security Council resolutions in the event of perceived non-compliance.

 

Baghaei criticized claims made by Wendy Sherman, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State from April 2021 to July 2023, calling them false. “The problem is that we often accept the statements of foreign actors as fact and use them to question our own people, while the enemy’s deceit should not undermine our own performance,” he said.

 

On the snapback mechanism, Baghaei noted mutual distrust: “The other side did not trust us, and we did not trust them.” He rejected assertions that snapback was imposed on Iran, emphasizing that the mechanism was a guarantee demanded by the other side.

 

According to Baghaei, the US argued it had invested significant effort in achieving consensus on UN resolutions and sought assurances to restore them if Iran were to breach commitments, while Iran’s guarantee was its own nuclear assets under domestic control.

 

Baghaei underscored Iran’s adherence to the JCPOA in good faith despite the other side’s violations. He said the JCPOA text is clear and straightforward, refuting claims that Iran was previously warned.

 

On UN Security Council Resolution 2231, he stated that, from a legal and logical perspective, it has concluded, but some parties—including two permanent Security Council members and certain Non-Aligned Movement countries—oppose Western interpretations, highlighting Iran’s diplomatic capabilities and significance.

 

He added that no International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports indicate Iran’s nuclear program is moving toward militarization.

 

Criticizing US unilateralism, Baghaei said Washington’s coercive approach threatens international peace and security, citing the renaming of the US Department of Defense to “Department of War” as emblematic. He condemned aggressive US policies, including tariff wars, as attempts to dominate global relations through force.

 

Baghaei concluded that Iran has proven its resilience and that reason and logic demand continued strengthening of the country’s position on the international stage.

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Nuclear deal negotiators pose for a photo at the UN building in Vienna, Austria.Social media/ WANA News Agency