German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reaffirmed the commitment of the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and world powers, saying the United States has left the deal and has no right to reinstate the United Nations’ sanctions against Tehran through a so-called “snapback” mechanism.
Maas made the remarks in an interview with the Arabic-language publication Al-Araby al-Jadeed, which was published on Sunday, when asked about the opposition of Germany, France and Britain (also known as E3) to the US announcement of reactivating international sanctions against Iran despite Washington’s withdrawal from the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, over two years ago.
"Germany, France and the United Kingdom remain committed to preserving and fully implementing JCPOA. The US left the agreement in 2018 and, therefore, no longer has a right to initiate the process called snapback," Maas said.
He added that the E3 pursues a "very clear" stance on the snapback mechanism and believes that only the JCPOA participants may notify the UN Security Council of significant non-performance of commitments by Iran under the deal.
"We have taken note of the sanctions the US administration has reimposed on Iran and we have expressed our regret in this regard. We also decided not to join its 'maximum pressure' campaign," the top German diplomat pointed out.
‘Maximum Isolation’
The United States has been trying to invoke the snapback mechanism in the multilateral nuclear agreement despite its withdrawal from the accord in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorses the JCPOA.
Since its much-criticized exit, Washington has been attempting to prevent the remaining signatories from abiding by their commitments to kill the historic agreement, which is widely viewed as a fruit of international diplomacy.
The United States’ most prominent western allies have refused to fall in step with the push, which follows Washington’s humiliating defeat in securing an extension of the UN arms embargo against Iran at the UNSC last month.
The president of the UN Security Council on Aug. 25 dismissed attempts by the US to reinstate all UN sanctions against Iran, citing a lack of consensus in the 15-member body.
In a statement released on Sept. 20, the three European signatories to JCPOA said a claim by the United States that it has restored Iran sanctions through the mechanism had no legal effect.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK said Washington was no longer a JCPOA participant and thus its notification on snapback sanctions “is incapable of having legal effect”.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Sept. 20 that the Islamic Republic will never give in to US bullying after the United States claimed it has restored all UN sanctions against Tehran through the snapback mechanism.
Rouhani noted that the US maximum pressure on the Iranian nation in political and legal arenas has led to Washington's "maximum isolation".
