Tehran–Moscow–Beijing Alliance Opposes Snapback Mechanism
WANA (Jul 22) – On the eve of the trilateral summit between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, and the People’s Republic of China in Tehran, senior officials from the three countries have reiterated their coordinated stance on Iran’s nuclear dossier, dismissing European efforts to activate the so-called “snapback” mechanism as illegitimate and unlawful. Spokespersons for the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries have also emphasized diplomatic solutions and called for resistance against Western unilateral pressure.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, announced in a press conference on Monday that the trilateral summit will be held in Tehran on Tuesday, July 22, at the director-general level and will focus on nuclear issues. He highlighted the roles of Moscow and Beijing as JCPOA signatories and permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Baghaei stressed that over the past year, the Islamic Republic has held close consultations with China and Russia regarding the “reimposition of sanctions” mechanism, and these engagements continue to prevent or mitigate its consequences. He asserted that from legal, logical, ethical, and political perspectives, there is no justification for reinstating lifted sanctions. According to him, Iran, Russia, and China maintain a unified position on the snapback issue.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, ahead of Iran’s upcoming talks with the European Troika, called for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear dispute through diplomacy, stating it is the only acceptable path. He urged all parties to avoid escalation and work toward a return to political negotiations.
Tripartite Meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Iran, China, and Russia – March 14, 2025 / WANA News Agency
Guo also shared an image of a recent meeting between the Iranian and Chinese foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, reaffirming China’s support for Iran’s right to defend itself against military aggression and resist hegemonic policies.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced on social media platform X that he has sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council, and senior EU officials, outlining the illegitimacy of the European Troika’s push to revive the snapback mechanism. He argued that by supporting recent aggressive actions by Israel and the United States and repeatedly violating JCPOA commitments, the European countries have effectively forfeited their standing as remaining parties to the agreement.
Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, voiced support for Araghchi’s position, asserting that the European trio has neither legal nor moral grounds to reinstate sanctions, having repeatedly breached the terms of the nuclear deal themselves.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a meeting with Araghchi during the Shanghai summit, once again underlined the necessity of diplomatic tools to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. Similarly, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had previously stated that, like the U.S., European countries lack the legal authority to trigger snapback sanctions due to their non-compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Iran and China President meeting in Russia at BRICS on October 23, 2024. President.ir / WANA News Agency
Expanding Trilateral Coordination Within the Eastern Bloc
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, had earlier announced after the fifth round of indirect talks with the U.S. in Rome that Tehran is strengthening cooperation with China and Russia through regional organizations such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He explicitly mentioned the continuation of trilateral coordination on the nuclear file, including in meetings held in Beijing and Moscow, which were aimed at reviewing JCPOA developments, Resolution 2231, and sanctions relief.
Expert-level meetings between the three countries began in March, prior to the official resumption of talks with the U.S., and have consistently emphasized the need for lifting all unilateral sanctions and maintaining trilateral technical and legal coordination.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia January 17, 2025. Handout / WANA News Agency
Unified Position After Israeli Attack
Following Israel’s military strike on Iranian soil on June 13, Chinese and Russian representatives adopted aligned positions in emergency UN Security Council meetings, condemning the aggression. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s UN envoy, citing IAEA reports, stated that there is no evidence of diversion in Iran’s nuclear program, calling Western allegations baseless.
Fu Cong, China’s UN ambassador, also emphasized Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology and stressed that the diplomatic process must not fall victim to external pressure.
Zhong Feiwu, China’s ambassador to Tehran, highlighted the recent trilateral summit in Beijing, affirming the three nations’ shared commitment to a diplomatic path on the nuclear issue.
The trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia, and China on Tehran’s nuclear issue on March 14, 2025. Social media WANA News Agency
Tehran Summit Ahead of Talks with Europe
The Iran-Russia-China summit in Tehran comes as Iran simultaneously prepares to host new negotiations with the European Troika in Istanbul. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the agenda will include sanctions relief and issues related to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. However, this time Tehran is expected to adopt a more assertive stance in response to recent European behavior.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has emphasized that European countries must be held accountable for their biased stances during the latest Israeli and American aggression. Far from condemning such actions, and in direct violation of Resolution 2231, some European states even adopted justificatory rhetoric.
