The Iranian Supreme National Security Council warned on Saturday that Tehran “will effectively suspend” its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency if UN sanctions are reimposed on it. The warning came a day after the UN Security Council approved moving forward with this action.
The council issued a statement broadcast by state television following a meeting chaired by President Masoud Bezhakian, during which “the reckless steps taken by the three European countries regarding the Iranian nuclear file were discussed”.
The statement indicated that the vote at the United Nations, initiated by France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, which foresees a return to international sanctions on September 28, “will seriously harm cooperation with the agency.” The statement noted: “Despite the Foreign Ministry’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and proposals to resolve this issue, the actions of the European countries have practically pushed the cooperation process with the agency into a state of suspension.”
Tehran’s reaction comes after Britain, France, and Germany launched a 30-day process last month to reimpose UN sanctions, accusing Iran of not complying with the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, which aims to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. This accusation is firmly denied by Tehran, which asserts that it has no intention of developing such a weapon.
The mechanism reimposes UN sanctions on Iran unless an agreement on postponement is reached between Tehran and the major European powers within about a week. In the event of a return, the sanctions would include a ban on weapons, uranium enrichment and reprocessing, and ballistic missile activities capable of carrying nuclear warheads, as well as freezing assets of Iranian individuals and entities worldwide.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has been tasked with continuing its consultations “within the framework of the Supreme National Security Council’s decisions” in this regard.