Snapback a ‘fabricated’ term, not found in JCPOA tex
TEHRAN, Oct. 22 (MNA) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the term “snapback” does not exist in the text of JCPOA, calling it “a fabricated expression” employed by the West to reinstate the expired UN resolutions against Iran.
Speaking to students at Razavi University of Islamic Sciences in Mashhad on Wednesday, Esmaeil Baghaei said that many of the “claims made by Wendy Sherman about the snapback mechanism are false.”
According to Press TV, Wendy Ruth Sherman, a senior US nuclear negotiator during the JCPOA talks, wrote in her memoir, Fear Is Failure: Lessons on Courage, Power, and Persistence, that the inclusion of the so-called snapback mechanism — or the reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran — was one of the final and most difficult parts of the negotiations.
Baghaei dismissed the claim, stating, “The text of the JCPOA is clear and straightforward,” and rejected assertions that Iran had been warned about the snapback mechanism.
Britain, France, and Germany triggered the so mechanism on August 28, setting in motion a 30‑day process to restore all UN sanctions on Iran.
Despite last-minute efforts by Russia and China to preserve diplomacy, the Security Council failed to reach a consensus on September 26, and two days later, the E3 and the United States declared the sanctions reinstated and urged UN member states to enforce them.
The Iranian diplomat also said that mutual distrust existed during the JCPOA negotiations, adding, “The other side did not trust us, and we did not trust them either.”
“Some claim that the snapback mechanism was imposed on us, but that is completely untrue,” he further said.
He explained that Iran’s guarantee was its own nuclear assets, while the other side wanted assurances that if Iran violated its commitments, the resolutions could be reinstated.
Baghaei said that Iran fulfilled its obligations in good faith under the JCPOA but was met with bad faith from the other party.
According to Baghaei, Resolution 2231, “based on legal and logical reasoning, has effectively ended, but Western parties insist on keeping it in force.”
Iran on Saturday declared an end to the JCPOA and all UN restrictions on its nuclear program following the expiration of Security Council resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal.
The country says its nuclear file is closed and should be treated under standard international oversight.
The diplomat added that two permanent members of the UN Security Council and countries of the Non-Aligned Movement oppose the Western interpretation, which shows “the importance and greatness of our country and our diplomatic capabilities.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Baghaei condemned the US approach, saying, “America’s bullying behavior has disrupted international relations. Even renaming the US Department of Defense to the Department of War would better reflect its real conduct.”
He added, “The US’s aggressive unilateralism has endangered international peace and security and fostered a dangerous pattern in global relations. Through various means, including tariff wars, Washington seeks to impose dominance through coercion.”
