Tehran may refuse to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency if the EU-3 countries - Britain, Germany and France - launch a mechanism to renew UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic, said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Garibabadi.
„We have clearly stated to the European countries that if they trigger the mechanism for the rapid restoration of sanctions, Iran will, of course, take the necessary countermeasures. We also informed them that in the event of such a step, any cooperation and interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency will be completely jeopardized and effectively terminated“, the official said on Iranian state television.
Earlier, the US and the EU-3 countries agreed to set the end of August as the deadline for concluding a nuclear deal. If the talks fail, the EU-3 plans to launch the rapid recovery mechanism, which will renew UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. The Islamic Republic authorities have threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if the sanctions are renewed. Western countries will be able to activate this mechanism as early as October 18.
On August 26, negotiations were held in Geneva between Iran and the “European troika“ at the level of deputy foreign ministers on the lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions and the resolution of disagreements over the Iranian nuclear program. The meeting also discussed the demand of Britain, Germany and France, according to which Iran should restore access to IAEA inspectors to its nuclear facilities, as well as resume diplomatic negotiations to reach a new agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.
After the consultations, Garibabadi said that Iran remains a supporter of diplomacy and mutually beneficial solutions to the disputed issues. According to the Associated Press, the negotiations ended without results, so the IAEA will not conduct inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities damaged by US and Israeli strikes for the time being.
„EU3“ is a shortened format of the group of mediators who agreed on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program until 2015. The other half of the international „six“ The main negotiating partners with Iran were Russia, China and the United States.
The agreement was signed on July 14, 2015. The agreement marked the end of a crisis that began in 2004, when Western countries accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement during his first term.