Iran will deliver a "proportionate and appropriate response" if European parties move to re-activate the UN snapback mechanism to reinstate international sanctions removed under the 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
"The so-called snapback mechanism has no legal or political basis," Baghaei said during his weekly press briefing. "In light of recent developments, resorting to such a mechanism is more unfounded than ever and lacks any legal, political, or ethical justification."
Baghaei stressed that Iran still considers itself a signatory of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite reducing its commitments in response to what he described as "blatant violations" by the United States and European parties. The US pulled out of the 2015 agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump's first administration.
“Our reduction of commitments was a response one year after the illegal withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA,” he said. “The European parties themselves also violated their obligations under the deal and failed to act accordingly. Therefore, they have no standing to invoke the mechanism.” He did not elaborate on how the EU violated the deal.
He said the move to activate the snapback clause, originally embedded in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, was "just an instrument of political pressure" and "will be met with a proportionate and appropriate response by Iran."
He dismissed the European threats as lacking "any legal justification" and said, "They must be held accountable for the consequences of their own failures. If they had adhered to their commitments honestly, today’s situation would have been different.”
Earlier in June, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, “France, together with its European partners, can, with a simple letter, reimpose a global embargo on weapons, nuclear equipment, and banking and insurance sectors in Iran, which were lifted 10 years ago.”
Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, any current JCPOA party—France, Germany, the UK, Russia, or China—can file a non-compliance complaint. If no resolution to maintain sanctions relief is adopted within 30 days, all previous UN sanctions automatically snap back, including cargo inspections, arms embargoes, and missile-related restrictions.
Iran accuses Germany of double standards
The spokesman also criticized Germany and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), alleging selective enforcement of nuclear non-proliferation obligations and supporting Israeli military actions.
“Germany’s hosting of US nuclear weapons is in clear violation of its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” Baghaei stated. “We know that a significant number of US nuclear warheads are stationed in Germany, which itself is enough to show a breach of international commitments.”
He added, “Despite this, we witness Germany taking an incorrect stance and supporting violations of international law by backing Israeli military actions. This support carries international responsibility.”
Just days after Iran expelled the UN watchdog, Baghaei also accused the IAEA of "instrumental and selective behavior" in addressing nuclear issues, saying the agency has become part of a broader political toolset, in particular, giving information to the US and Israel which Iran says helped strikes launched against Iran's nuclear facilities last month.
Iran also criticized the IAEA for not condoning the strikes on the country's three main nuclear facilities. “The peaceful nuclear facilities of Iran are being targeted militarily, while the agency remains silent on clear violations by other countries,” he said.
On reports of Russia allegedly pushing Iran to agree to "zero enrichment" levels, Baghaei called the claims “fabricated” and aimed at “damaging Iran’s ties with its partners.” He said that “Russia knows well that Iran makes independent decisions regarding its nuclear policy, and they have always respected that.”
No date for talks, no proposals from allies
Regarding the resumption of nuclear negotiations, Baghaei said no time or location has been set for future talks but confirmed ongoing consultations with China and Russia.
“We maintain strategic relations with both countries and are in close contact with them,” he said. “While no specific proposals have been presented, both China and Russia have consistently expressed readiness to help resolve the nuclear issue.”
He cited “positive discussions” between Iranian and Russian officials during the recent BRICS summit and added that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had traveled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ministerial meeting for continued consultations.
On reports that China or Norway may act as new intermediaries in nuclear negotiations, Baghaei said such rumors were “just speculation and cannot be confirmed.”
Diplomacy still an option, but not at any cost
When asked about Iran’s conditions for returning to talks, Baghaei said, “We are serious about diplomacy and have entered negotiations with good faith. However, before the sixth round of talks, the Zionist regime, in coordination with the United States, carried out a military aggression against Iran.”
He emphasized that Iran would not re-enter negotiations “until there is confidence in the effectiveness of diplomacy.”
“Diplomacy is a tool and an opportunity,” he said. “We are not allowed to deprive ourselves of this tool to explain Iran’s position and defend our national interests. Just as the armed forces are fulfilling their duty to defend the country, the diplomatic apparatus must do the same through diplomacy.”
Damage to Fordow still under review
Baghaei said that assessments of damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, targeted by US bombs just before the ceasefire with Israel last month, are still ongoing due to the "scale and type of the strikes."
He also responded to a recent joint statement by the UK, France, and Germany condemning Iran's retaliatory strike on the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for the three European countries to justify the aggression of the Zionist regime and question Iran’s legitimate defensive response,” he said. “These statements are baseless and not worth responding to.”
IRGC-affiliated Fars News reported on Saturday that a meeting of the SNSC was held on Monday morning, June 16 in one of the underground floors of a building in western Tehran.
According to the report, the meeting—attended by the heads of Iran’s three branches of power—was hit by six bombs or missiles, and President Masoud Pezeshkian and some other officials sustained minor leg injuries when trying to flee.
In response to Iran International’s inquiry on Sunday, the Israeli military declined to comment on the Fars report. Nevertheless, several aspects of the report can be subjected to fact-checking.
Time and location of the strike
Iran International reviewed reports of explosions in the capital on June 16 but found no evidence of six consecutive blasts occurring in Tehran that morning.
However, there is substantial evidence indicating that the alleged attack took place on Monday afternoon.
On June 24, Vahid Jalili, deputy head of Iran’s state broadcaster, said: “Last Monday [June 16], an hour before the strike on the IRIB, they [Israelis] hit the meeting of the heads of branches. Miraculously, they survived.”
The strike on IRIB’s glass building occurred at 6:34 PM Tehran time on June 16.
Assuming Fars may have misreported or misstated the time of the incident, Iran International investigated other explosions in western Tehran later that day.
Numerous video reports confirm that a site in Shahid Bagheri Town in western Tehran was hit by multiple missiles in the afternoon and evening of June 16. Iran International published two videos that same day showing the blasts in the area.
Additional footage posted on social media shows the explosions from various angles.
One social media user posted a photo on June 16, writing: “At 16:45, they hit the mountains next to Bagheri Town with at least seven bombs.”
While the area’s topography and lack of satellite imagery make it difficult to pinpoint the exact missile impact sites, Iran International’s analysis indicates the location was likely within the grounds of Dokooheh Hall, an IRGC facility located in the Chitgar area north of Bagheri Town.
Who was the target?
Meetings of the heads of the three branches—executive, judiciary, and legislative—are typically attended by the president, judiciary chief, and parliament speaker. These sessions are usually hosted by one of the three bodies, most often the president’s office, but sometimes by parliament or the judiciary.
Such meetings are usually held to coordinate on routine national matters and may also include ministers or senior security officials. Given the wartime context at the time, holding such a meeting does not appear particularly urgent or critical.
In contrast, meetings of the Supreme National Security Council are broader in scope.
In addition to the three heads of the branches, they include seven other official members: the foreign minister, intelligence minister, interior minister, head of the budget organization, chief of staff of the armed forces, army commander, and IRGC commander. Two representatives of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—Saeed Jalili and Ali Akbar Ahmadian—also attend.
On June 28, Khamenei's advisor Ali Larijani first revealed there had been an operation targeting the Supreme National Security Council on June 16.
“They had discovered the meeting of the heads of branches and wanted to eliminate them through bombing, but they failed,” Larijani said. “The plan was to wipe out the country’s leadership and then move on to the Supreme Leader and dismantle the Islamic Republic.”
Former IRGC chief-commander Mohsen Rezaei made similar remarks in a television interview on July 9, saying: “They couldn’t hit the Supreme Leader. They bombed the Security Council's meeting—six points of the location were struck, but not a single member was harmed.”
Was Pezeshkian the intended target?
Without access to classified information, such claims remain speculative. However, the Israeli news outlet Ynet, citing Danny Citrinowicz—a researcher and former head of the Iran desk at Israeli military intelligence—wrote that Pezeshkian is considered a reformist and was unlikely to have been the primary target.
Citrinowicz said that Pezeshkian currently chairs the Supreme National Security Council, and since the council can significantly influence Iran’s national security decisions, the meeting itself may have been the intended target.
One day after the strike, Iran International obtained information showing that in an unprecedented move, Ali Khamenei had delegated a substantial portion of his authority to the Supreme Guard Council.
What did Netanyahu and Trump say on June 16?
At approximately 7:00 PM Tehran time on June 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News that targeting Khamenei was not off the table. He emphasized that such an action “would not escalate the conflict but end it.”
Asked directly whether Israel would strike Khamenei, Netanyahu said: “We will do whatever is necessary.”
Donald Trump, who was attending the G7 summit in Canada, left the event unexpectedly a day early on June 16.
Politico reported the same day that Trump abruptly left the G7 summit after expressing concern about escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. At the time, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had left to work on a ceasefire plan between Israel and Iran.
On Tuesday, June 17, Trump rejected that claim on Truth Social, writing: “Wrong!” he wrote. “He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.”
Iran probing insider role
Iran has launched a wide-ranging investigation into Israel’s attempted assassination of President Masoud Pezeshkian, with suspicions of an inside agent, Al Jazeera reported on July 13, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official.
“The assassination attempt on President Pezeshkian will not go unanswered — Israel will pay the price,” the official was quoted as saying.
“Israel deliberately targeted the Iranian president during an important National Security Council meeting during the war,” the official added.
In addition to the president, the official said the operation targeted “the heads of the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities,” describing it as part of “an Israeli plan aimed at overthrowing the regime in the country.”