Russia and China have proposed extending the timeline of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as tensions rise over Iran’s uranium enrichment violations. The move comes amid accusations that the United States is to blame for the current situation, following its withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018. The E3 nations have triggered the snapback mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Iran, citing its non-compliance with the agreement.
Russia’s UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, claimed that the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA led to Iran’s defiant measures and that the E3’s actions are an escalation, not a legal procedure. He stated, ‘We should not confuse the real source of the problem that happened in 2018,’ referring to Trump’s decision to drop the U.S. from the JCPOA.
The E3 nations have initiated the snapback mechanism to reimpose severe UN sanctions on Iran within 30 days, following its non-compliance with the JCPOA. This mechanism allows for the resumption of sanctions if Iran fails to comply with the agreement. The Russian official claimed that the ‘move by E3 cannot and should not entail any legal or procedural effect,’ suggesting that he viewed the snapback as an escalatory step rather than a formal legal procedure.
Russia and China have introduced a draft UNSC resolution to extend the timeline of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement by six months, aiming to delay the sanctions process. However, it seems unlikely that the U.S., France, or the U.K., as permanent members of the UNSC, will agree to push the action forward, given Iran’s refusal to comply with previous extension proposals.
The U.S. has long called on the other signatories to reinforce snapback sanctions on Iran for the violations after it lost its ability to do so by bowing out of the agreement in 2018. However, despite clear evidence that Iran has violated the JCPOA, including by amassing up to 45 times the amount of enriched uranium that it is permitted to have, operating advanced centrifuges, and denying the IAEA access to its nuclear sites, the Russian official claimed the ‘move by E3 cannot and should not entail any legal or procedural effect.’ He continued, ‘It’s a mere escalatory step. Western countries… don’t care about diplomacy, and they care only about blackmail and threats.’
A UK official confirmed that attempts to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran have been ongoing for years, including in 2022 when a proposal was agreed to by all JCPOA participants, including Russia and China, but which Iran rejected. The official said there had been ‘very intense diplomacy’ over the last ’12 months, 6 months, 6 weeks,’ but Russia appeared to dismiss these efforts on Thursday.
Russia’s UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, stated, ‘The world is at a crossroads. It’s quite clear. One option is peace, diplomacy and goodwill. Another option is… diplomacy at the barrel of the gun… extortion and blackmail.’
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions, but the situation remains a major point of contention in international relations, with significant implications for global diplomacy and nuclear non-proliferation efforts.