Iran’s Leader Dismisses EU’s UN Sanctions Move as “Illegitimate”

(MENAFN) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian forcefully condemned France, Britain, and Germany’s recent attempt to reactivate United Nations sanctions against Tehran, branding the effort as lacking “international legitimacy,” according to a state news agency.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Pezeshkian denounced last month’s European initiative to invoke the “snapback” provision of the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Last week, the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution extending sanctions relief for Iran, paving the way for the reimposition of sanctions later this month.

The Iranian president accused the European powers of having “failed to honor their commitments over the past decade” and claimed they acted “under Washington's pressure and coercion.” He further charged them with attempting to “destroy” the JCPOA, which they had previously praised as “the biggest achievement of multilateral diplomacy.”

Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s stance that it has never pursued nuclear weapons and would not do so, citing a religious decree issued by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Under the 2015 JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. However, following the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 and reimposition of sanctions, Tehran began reducing its compliance with the deal.

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