Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign minister of the Iranian regime, stated during a session of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament that the government is committed to the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Majlis (Parliament) National Security Commission, said on Sunday, August 3, that Gharibabadi presented a report to the commission about the Istanbul meeting with the three European countries, as well as his recent trip to New York.
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Rezaei quoted the deputy foreign minister as emphasizing that the law passed by parliament regarding the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA is “mandatory and enforceable.”
Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese outlet affiliated with Hezbollah, reported on August 3—citing “informed sources”—that during next week’s visit by IAEA officials to Tehran, a “new chapter” in relations between the two sides will begin.
The outlet added that the upcoming trip is “political” in nature and that IAEA inspectors will not be part of the visiting delegation.
On July 2, Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian issued an executive order to implement the law titled “Obliging the Government to Suspend Cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.” This law had previously been approved by the regime’s parliament and ratified by the Guardian Council.
Gharibabadi: Europe has no right to trigger the snapback mechanism
Continuing his remarks in parliament, Gharibabadi stated that Iranian regime foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General and members of the Security Council, declaring the activation of the snapback mechanism to be “legally and procedurally unfounded.”
Gharibabadi said: “The European countries have not honored their commitments under the nuclear agreement and therefore have no right to activate the snapback mechanism.”
He added: “In terms of sanctions, activating [the snapback mechanism] does not add anything new to the existing sanctions, but it has psychological effects that must be managed.”
On August 2, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadfull stated that Tehran’s long-range missile program threatens not only Israel but also Europe and must be part of the negotiations with the Iranian regime.
He also said he did not have much hope for the success of these negotiations.
Gharibabadi further emphasized that the Iranian regime is coordinating with China and Russia on how to respond to the potential activation of the snapback mechanism by the European troika, and that a trilateral meeting has already taken place.
Gharibabadi’s remarks about coordination between Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow on the Iranian regime’s nuclear dossier come amid previous criticisms regarding the level of support China and Russia have shown for Iran’s regime during Israeli attacks.
On August 3, Yadollah Javani, the IRGC’s political deputy, responded to these criticisms—specifically, why China and Russia did not support Iran during the 12-day war—by saying that Tehran had not asked them for assistance.
He added: “Long-term agreements with these two countries do not obligate them to defend the Iranian regime during wartime.”
