Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that the nation is prepared to “overcome obstacles” if the international community reinstates broad UN sanctions against it. This announcement comes amid escalating hostilities regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Most Western countries claim it breaches the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Today’s advances came out of a pivotal meeting in Cairo. Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came to an interim agreement last week to restore IAEA inspections at Iranian nuclear sites. Reaching this agreement is an immense achievement in our diplomatic efforts. It arrives at an important moment, as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are moving toward imposing their own sanctions.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, despite assertions from European countries to the contrary. The JCPOA had all the necessary ingredients – Iran, China, Russia, and the United States, as well as the E3. It was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting some of its sanctions. Yet, the accord started falling apart in 2018 as then-US President Donald Trump pulled out of it and unilaterally reimposed sanctions.
President Pezeshkian condemned the move by the three European countries to initiate a 30-day process to restore UN sanctions. He called their actions “ill-considered.” At a public event last May, he declared that Iranian experts and scientists are committed to reconstructing any nuclear installations destroyed by their “enemies.”
“It is totally impossible to stop those who possess the will, determination and ability to advance” – President Masoud Pezeshkian
The proposed reimposition of sanctions would reintroduce an arms embargo on Iran. It would cap uranium enrichment, prohibit nuclear development and reprocessing, and forbid ballistic missile activities. It would impose tough worldwide asset freezes and travel bans on Iranians.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi drew attention to the fragile cooperation in terms of IAEA’s understanding. He indicated that the cooperation with the agency could be “completely stopped” if diplomatic efforts do not yield favorable results.
“completely stopped…if nothing special happens in the field of diplomacy” – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi
For his part, Pezeshkian highlighted Iran’s steadfastness, noting that Iran has never knuckled under to what he called unreasonable—or maybe we should say illegitimate—demands. He closed with a hopeful vision for the future, conveying his faith in Iran’s ability to meet them with these words,
“We have never bowed and will never bow to excessive demands because we have the power to bring about change” – President Masoud Pezeshkian
Recently, as Iran prepares for the possible imposition of renewed sanctions, the Iranian government has doubled down on its insistence that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful. Tensions are ratcheting up between Iran and Western countries. The fate of their diplomatic relationship now rests on a knife’s edge as both countries readied for further escalation.
