Iran will soon unveil measures in response to the European decision to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism to restore international sanctions, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday, denouncing the step as illegal.
Two rounds of talks between the IAEA and the foreign ministry had already taken place, with a third session planned, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told reporters.
“The matter of IAEA supervision over the refueling of Bushehr was on the agenda. Two inspectors came, observed the process and left,” he said.
Inspectors entered the country with authorization from the Supreme National Security Council to oversee a fuel replacement process at Bushehr, he added.
The visit marked the first IAEA presence since Tehran suspended cooperation during the 12-day war with Israel, when US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that while inspectors were allowed back into Bushehr, access to other key sites remained blocked. He also warned that the agency was still dissatisfied with the level of Iranian cooperation.
Some Iranian officials and media outlets had also threatened that as soon as Grossi entered Iranian territory, he should be arrested and put on trial. The Kayhan newspaper, overseen by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had called for Grossi to be tried and executed “for spying for Mossad.”
Dispute over snapback sanctions
Eslami dismissed the activation of the UN snapback mechanism by Britain, France and Germany as unsurprising. “Our enemies always find excuses to pressure the Iranian nation,” he said, accusing the IAEA leadership of acting under the influence of Western powers.
The European states triggered the mechanism on August 28, seeking the reimposition of all previous UN sanctions and demanding that Iran resume full cooperation with the IAEA within 30 days. Tehran has so far refused.
Officials have threatened that if pressure intensifies, Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — a move that would deepen its isolation and risk losing support from Russia and China.
The IAEA has reported that Iran holds enriched uranium stocks far beyond the limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, including more than 400 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.
The fate of this material remains unclear after the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during the June conflict. Experts warn it could be enough, if further refined, to build several nuclear weapons.
Speaking at a parliamentary session, Ghalibaf said, “The unified decision of the Islamic Republic of Iran in response to the unlawful action of European countries will soon be announced and implemented.”
Britain, France and Germany -- the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal -- notified the United Nations in late August that they would pursue the reimposition of sanctions unless Iran returned to nuclear talks, granted inspectors wider access, and provided details on its uranium stockpile. European governments have stressed there is still time for diplomacy before sanctions formally return.
Iran has rejected the move, arguing that the Europeans themselves failed to uphold their commitments under the 2015 agreement after the US withdrawal in 2018.
Ghalibaf told lawmakers that “the European powers lacked the legal right to activate paragraph 37 of the JCPOA because they failed to uphold their own commitments” and accused them of acting at Washington’s behest.
“It is necessary for Iran to take deterrent action to make this illegal step costly for the Europeans, in order to change their decision on activating the snapback,” he said.
He added that while UN resolutions carried symbolic weight, they would not significantly alter Iran’s economy compared with sweeping US unilateral sanctions already in place.
Ghalibaf also said claims that snapback sanctions could pave the way for military action against Iran were unfounded. “The real deterrent is our national unity and defensive strength, not UN resolutions,” he said.
NPT debate and European criticism
The remarks come as Iranian officials intensify criticism of European governments.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the Guardian this week that Europe had “ceased being a mediator” and was now acting as a “proxy of the US and Israel.”
He warned that parliament, not the government, controls Iran’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that lawmakers could vote to withdraw if sanctions are restored.
The debate has been a recurring theme in parliament and gained further momentum after the 12-day war, during which the United States struck three major Iranian nuclear facilities while Israel targeted additional nuclear infrastructure and scientists.
Baghaei also said Iran would consider reducing enrichment to the 3.67% cap set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but only if its right to enrich uranium domestically was guaranteed. He expressed Tehran’s distrust of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), alleging that information gathered by inspectors had been leaked to Israel.
90-minute closed session
Iran’s parliament held a closed-door session on Tuesday to discuss how to respond to European powers’ move to trigger the snapback mechanism, with lawmakers insisting the measure would have little real economic impact but vowing that Tehran’s reaction would be forceful and coordinated.
Parliament’s presidium spokesman Abbas Goudarzi told reporters that the snapback mechanism, which could lead to the reimposition of six UN Security Council resolutions, would not meaningfully worsen Iran’s current situation.
“Activation of the snapback mechanism, which results in the return of six resolutions, will not have a real and tangible effect on the country’s economic situation,” he said.
He added that UN sanctions covered 120 individuals and entities, while “more than 2,000 individuals and entities have already been sanctioned by the United States, so the situation will not be worse than it is now.”
Goudarzi said the main aim of the European step was to create “a psychological atmosphere in the country” that could trigger currency volatility and market anxiety. “Officials must play their role in this area so that the people do not suffer,” he said.
Goudarzi stressed that Iran’s institutions would act in unison. “The parliament, government, Supreme National Security Council and all the pillars of the system are united and coherent, and we will take reciprocal measures,” he said.
The 90-minute non-public session brought together lawmakers and the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, which presented a detailed report on the snapback process and its potential effects. Several lawmakers also spoke, presenting their own views.
Goudarzi said Speaker Ghalibaf had emphasized that Iran’s “hand is full in this regard, and whatever reciprocal action is decided will be pursued without hesitation.”
he confirmed that proposals from lawmakers would be reviewed in upcoming sessions, with the Committee preparing recommendations for adoption. “All these proposals will be examined and the necessary decision will be made,” he said.
Esmail Kowsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said: “If the other side chooses to pursue the path of coercion, we also know how to stand against them.”
Yaghoub Rezazadeh, another member of the committee, said the best response would be to cut off all cooperation with the IAEA and move toward uranium enrichment up to 90 percent.
“All the pressure is aimed at making us sit at the same table with the United States, which is impossible.”
However, he said the return of sanctions would not amount to anything new. “Eighty percent of these sanctions are already being enforced."
