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.
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."
