Iran summons its ambassadors to the UK, France, and Germany for consultations

SadaNews - Iran has summoned its ambassadors to the UK, France, and Germany for consultations, according to local media, after the three countries activated a mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions on Tehran.

The official Iranian television stated, "Following the irresponsible move by the three European countries to reactivate annulled decisions of the UN Security Council, Iran's ambassadors to Germany, France, and the UK have been summoned to Tehran for consultations."

The reinstatement of UN sanctions on Iran has become almost inevitable after the Security Council voted against delaying this step, despite the International Atomic Energy Agency resuming inspections of Iranian nuclear sites.

In a final attempt, the council voted on Friday on a draft resolution aimed at extending the 2015 agreement between Iran and the major powers for six months until April 18, 2026. The current agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, expires on October 18. However, this draft, presented by China and Russia, was rejected by 9 of the 15 council members, while only 4 supported it, and 2 abstained from voting.

UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward stated, "UN sanctions targeting Iranian nuclear proliferation will be reinstated by the end of this weekend."

Her French counterpart, Ambassador Jérôme Bonavon, explained: "Unfortunately, Iran insisted on its rejection (...) Iran has not provided any tangible or truly specific initiatives." As a result of the vote, the Security Council is moving forward with activating the "snapback mechanism" to reinstate its sanctions on Tehran, after having approved it last week. The sanctions are expected to be in effect by midnight Saturday/Sunday GMT.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi considered the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program to be "legally void." He stated before the Security Council that activating the "snapback mechanism" is a procedure that is "legally void, politically reckless, and procedurally flawed." In statements to reporters, Araghchi said, "Iran will never submit to pressure. We only respond to respect. The choice is clear: escalation or diplomacy."

Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy described what happened as "deception, lies, and a nonsensical charade," stating: "This is not diplomacy." He confirmed that Russia sees no point in reinstating sanctions, hinting that it will not enforce them.