Iran has rejected UN sanctions against its nuclear program as illegal after they were renewed at the insistence of Germany, France and Britain, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"The measure taken by the three European countries is legally and procedurally imperfect and therefore null and void", Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, published in "Ex".
He said that the entry into force of the UN sanctions constitutes a "clear violation" of the 2015 nuclear deal, calling it morally and politically unjustified.
Araghchi told Guterres that he expected him to prevent the three European countries and the United States from using the United Nations for their political purposes.
The sanctions came into effect overnight after the so-called "retrigger mechanism" was pushed by Germany, France and Britain, whose signatures are under the historic agreement to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons.
Western powers fear that Iran is seeking to produce a nuclear bomb, although Tehran has repeatedly stressed that its nuclear activities are entirely for civilian purposes.
But the three European powers accuse the country of enriching uranium far above the levels needed for civilian nuclear purposes.
The resumption of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was also a key requirement.
Despite last-minute diplomatic efforts, no breakthrough was achieved with Iranian leaders, leading to the return of the sanctions regime that was in place from 2006 until early 2016.
The measures include a comprehensive arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and a global asset freeze on Iranian individuals and entities. related to nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
While the sanctions are expected to further increase pressure on Iran's already weakened economy, which is hit by extensive unilateral measures imposed by the United States, the full impact of the "restoration" of the UN sanctions remains unclear, DPA reported.
In protest against the reimposition of sanctions, Iran announced yesterday that it had summoned its ambassadors from Britain, France and Germany for consultations.