Sanctions against Iran were resumed on Saturday night (27), a decade after they were suspended as part of a historic agreement to limit and monitor the country’s nuclear program.
Several European powers accuse Iran of not fulfilling their obligations under the agreement. But the resumption of sanctions may lead Tehran to move further from international observers.
Sanctions should end permanently on October 18. But the original agreement, known as JCPOA, an acronym in English for a global joint action plan, allowed any signatory before that date if I decided that Iran did not compromise its nuclear program.
Europe accuses Iran of violating agreement
In August, European negotiators said to what Iran had that Europe was preparing to resume sanctions. The board then issued a one month warning to Iran as a way to put the process in progress before Russia assumed the presidency of the agency in October.
Several meetings and phone calls have taken place over the last month with Iranian Foreign Minister, ABBAS ARAGHCHI, and other Iranian guardians – but no meeting has made advances in the main demands of Europeans: evidence that Iran is prepared to find a diplomatic solution, comply with the inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIA) and account for over 400 kg of highly enriched.
The European nations also want the resumption of Iran’s negotiations with the United States.
Western powers and Israel accuse Iran of trying to make nuclear weapons.
There was an agreement this month between the AUEA and Iran about the resumption of inspections, but European diplomats said the combined is too vague. The Iranian chancellor told state media that AIEA’s access to nuclear facilities would be limited and conducted under conditions established by the Iran’s Supreme Security Council. He added that enriched uranium stocks may remain inaccessible, buried under the rubble of nuclear facilities.
The “Snapback” mechanism, approved by the Security Council on Friday (26), is a decision that restores UN sanctions that were applied between 2006 and 2010 – including an Iran’s arms embargo from obtaining technology for its ballistic missile program. Iranian oil and financial services were also targeted.
But the decision of European countries is not binding to the other JCPOA agreement, such as China and Russia, historical allies of Iran.
The US left the deal during President Donald Trump’s first term and opted for a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran through sanctions. Thus, the “snapback” mechanism means that Europe is approaching the US posture.
What does Iran say?
Iran maintains a challenging position: “Through the snapback they block the road, but it is the brains and thoughts that open or build the road,” said Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The economic impact of UN and the European Union’s sanctions on Iran would be limited, given the severity of US restrictions,” says the European Foreign Affairs Council (ECFR). “But a practical branch for Iran is that if a future nuclear agreement led to the withdrawal of UN sanctions, it is unclear whether the European Union would agree with it.”
The advice adds: “It is inconceivable that – having experienced the pain of military attacks – [a retomada das sanções] It can force Iran to accept the US requirement to stop enriching uranium. ”
Iranian authorities earned earlier that, if the sanctions were resumed, Tehran would close their participation in the AIEA inspections. Some Iranian authorities warned that the return of the UN sanctions would lead Iran to abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (TNP), which would end the international inspection of its nuclear program.
President Pezeshkian, however, told a group of journalists and analysts that Iran had no intention of abandoning TNP as a reaction to the resumption of UN sanctions, Reuters said.
How is the Iranian nuclear program today?
After the Israeli attack on Iran, which lasted 12 days in June, and the US air strikes against its main nuclear installation by Fordow, the current conditions of Iran’s program is not clear.
Trump said Fordow was destroyed; Other evaluations suggested that nuclear facilities had been severely damaged, but that the Iran program may have been delayed in two years.
Iranian chancellor said much of Iran’s enriched uranium is buried under the rubble. It is also unknown what is the state of the critical equipment in Isfahan that would enrich uranium until it reaches military levels and would convert it to metal.
International inspectors have not been able to visit the facilities since the June conflict.
