WANA (Sep 20) – The head of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee warned that countries exploiting Iran’s goodwill will face severe consequences.

 

The head of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, wrote on his personal account on the social platform X:

 

“We warn those countries that misuse Iran’s goodwill for ‘dialogue’ while closing the doors of diplomacy to themselves: ‘maximum pressure’ will never work, and this time they will regret it more than ever.”

 

These remarks came after the United Nations Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution that would have extended the lifting of sanctions against Iran.

Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission

Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. Social media/WANA News Agency

This means that if no other decision is taken by the Security Council in the coming days, UN sanctions against Iran will be reactivated as of September 28.

 

Some experts say the UN resolutions make no reference to sanctions on Iran’s banking and financial systems or on its oil sales. They also note that, given the secondary sanctions already imposed by the United States, the return of these UN sanctions will have little real effect on Iran’s economy, with Western countries mainly seeking to exert psychological pressure on Tehran.

 

Several weeks ago, the three European countries sent a letter to the UN Security Council to trigger the so-called “snapback mechanism.”

 

This mechanism, part of the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) and its endorsing resolution (Resolution 2231), can lead to the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran. The Western countries’ claim is that Iran’s remedial measures taken after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA constitute a violation of the agreement.

 

After the U.S. withdrawal, the Islamic Republic of Iran gave the Europeans one year to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA and deliver the promised tangible economic benefits, thereby offsetting the effects of the U.S. exit.

 

However, the mechanism known as INSTEX, which the Europeans claimed would facilitate non-dollar trade with Iran, failed without conducting a single transaction and was eventually shut down.

 

On this basis, one year after the U.S. withdrawal, Iran announced—citing Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA—that it would gradually reduce its commitments under the agreement in a step-by-step process.

 

Following Iran’s remedial steps, the European countries also took actions that Tehran considered a violation of their commitments under the JCPOA.

 

For instance, in October 2023—designated in the JCPOA text as “Transition Day”—the three European countries refrained from fulfilling their obligation to lift missile-related sanctions on Iran.

 

In addition, the UK, Germany, and France not only failed to condemn Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities but openly supported them.

Nuclear deal negotiators pose for a photo at the UN building in Vienna, Austria. JCPOA

Nuclear deal negotiators pose for a photo at the UN building in Vienna, Austria.