WNAM REPORT: Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna says “legal and moral” authority to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism against Iran.
A senior Russian diplomat says Britain, France, and Germany— the E3— lacked “legal and moral” authority to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism against Iran since they failed to uphold their obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal following the US withdrawal from the accord.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Sunday, where he discussed the upcoming IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, focusing on Iran’s nuclear program and recent snapback sanctions triggered by the E3.
“It was not occasional that the snapback mechanism was launched by three European states who formally still remain participants in the JCPOA. They don’t have a legal, procedural, or even moral right to do that because they are violators,” the Russian diplomat said.
“They violated the JCPOA very significantly as well as Resolution 2231, and according to the legal opinion of the International Court of Justice of 1971, if a party violates an agreement, it has no right to refer to the same agreement for blaming another counterpart,” he added.
Ulyanov pointed out that the European trio and the US have been actively contributing to the politicization of the IAEA’s activities, citing an example where the Secretariat of the Agency and Iran were engaged in discussions regarding potential future agency activities, only for the E3 to trigger the snapback mechanism in New York when progress was being made in the negotiations.
This pattern of behavior by the European nations has led to repeated disruptions in the sphere concerning Iran’s nuclear dossier, he said, describing it as ‘irrational and inexplicable’.
“The Europeans time and again create problems in the sphere that relates to the nuclear dossier of Iran. It’s very irrational. It’s very strange. It has no plausible explanation, but this is a matter of fact,” he said.
According to Ulyanov, discussions within the IAEA’s Board of Governors have increasingly taken on a politicized nature, especially regarding Iran, evolving beyond technical matters and becoming intertwined with political considerations.
Furthermore, the Russian official emphasized that Washington’s involvement in the snapback process is nonexistent, as President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal, JCPOA, and President Joe Biden did not rejoin the deal.
He also stressed that France, Germany, and Britain do not have the “legal, procedural, or even moral right” to trigger the snapback mechanism because “they are violators”.
Ulyanov further noted that the E3 had significantly violated the JCPOA as well as Resolution 2231, stressing that, according to the 1971 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, a party that violates an agreement forfeits its right to reference the same agreement to blame another party.
He also raised concerns about the West’s exit strategy following the implementation of the snapback mechanism and the re-imposition of all UN Security Council sanctions by the end of September, emphasizing Russia’s preference for diplomatic solutions and collective discussions involving all JCPOA participants.
Ulyanov also highlighted that Russia and China have collaborated on a draft resolution to extend Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA for six months, aiming to provide more time for diplomatic efforts without resorting to snapback.
He further cautioned about the potential negative consequences of Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT, underscoring the extensive inspections carried out in the country as one of the most inspected nations.
Ulyanov agreed with the assessment that the nuclear issue is being utilized as a geopolitical tool to contain Iran, Russia, and China.
The Russian top envoy also commented on the increasing politicization and confrontation within international organizations like the UN and IAEA, noting a departure from earlier years’ cooperation and consensus.
He also expressed regret over the erosion of the ‘Vienna spirit’ of consensus in international organizations due to geopolitical tensions, pointing out Russia’s efforts to counterbalance Western dominance in multilateral forums.
