Iran to Resume Cooperation with IAEA, Avoiding Immediate Sanctions
VIENNA – Iran will resume collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), averting the immediate re-imposition of United Nations sanctions under the “Snapback Mechanism,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Araghchi announced today. The decision follows warnings from France, England, and Germany regarding the potential reinstatement of sanctions due to Iran’s earlier suspension of cooperation with the IAEA.
Earlier this year, Iranian President Pezeshkian signed a law suspending collaboration with the IAEA, prompting the agency to deem it a “serious matter.” The European nations initiated a thirty-day procedure at the end of last month to possibly reimpose sanctions, invoking the 2015 UN resolution known as the snapback Mechanism. This mechanism allows for the re-establishment of UN sanctions originally in place from 2006 to 2010 if Iran fails to comply with the conditions of the 2015 nuclear agreement. The potential sanctions encompassed restrictions on the arms trade with Iran, travel bans for sanctioned individuals, and the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.
The Snapback Mechanism was triggered by concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and its compliance with the 2015 Joint Thorough Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Atoomakard. Had the UN Security Council re-established sanctions, Araghchi warned, it would have signaled the definitive end of the agreement with the IAEA.The thirty-day window for Iran to meet European demands has now been satisfied with this renewed commitment to IAEA cooperation.
