Iran’s rial weakens as UN sanctions set to return

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh accused Britain, France and Germany of seeking a pretext to escalate tensions after triggering the snapback mechanism to restore UN sanctions on Iran.

“The European troika are providing a pretext for further tensions, and these three countries must be cautious,” he said in remarks to Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen.

“The window of diplomacy is still open, and diplomacy is always more attractive than escalating tensions,” he added.

Writing in Kayhan, Shariatmadari argued that two decades of negotiations had failed to protect Iran’s nuclear facilities from attacks, saying that “remaining in the NPT no longer makes sense” and that Iran’s only option was to strengthen deterrence.

“Those who say that if we leave the NPT it will pave the way for an attack must answer two questions. First, did they not attack our nuclear facilities while we were in the NPT? Second, does not America insist that attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities should not be prohibited? … So what are you waiting for?” he wrote.

The 15-member UN Security Council on Friday opted not to permanently lift sanctions on Tehran, after Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process last month to reimpose them, accusing Iran of failing to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Shariatmadari dismissed the return of UN sanctions under the so-called snapback mechanism as “an empty shell” compared with US secondary sanctions.

“For years Iran’s economy has been under the pressure of Washington’s multilayered sanctions, which are far broader and harsher than the UN’s restrictions," he wrote.

"The snapback (mechanism) neither brings extra sanctioning power nor grants a fresh license for war,” he wrote.

Lawmakers warn of NPT pullback

Shariatmadari’s call was echoed by lawmakers who also warned Iran could scale back its cooperation with international nuclear agreements.

"We warn the countries that exploit Iran's goodwill for 'dialogue' and close the doors of diplomacy to themselves that 'maximum pressure' never works, and this time they will regret it harder than ever," said Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

Another lawmaker, Fada-Hossein Maleki, said the country was prepared to scale back cooperation with international bodies. "The Islamic Republic is prepared for any scenario, including withdrawal from the agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and even seriously considering withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," he said.

Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the hardline daily Kayhan, has called for Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) following the UN Security Council’s decision not to permanently lift sanctions.

Writing in Kayhan, Shariatmadari argued that two decades of negotiations had failed to protect Iran’s nuclear facilities from attacks, saying that “remaining in the NPT no longer makes sense” and that Iran’s only option was to strengthen deterrence.

“Those who say that if we leave the NPT it will pave the way for an attack must answer two questions. First, did they not attack our nuclear facilities while we were in the NPT? Second, does not America insist that attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities should not be prohibited? … So what are you waiting for?” he wrote.

“The only way to preserve Iran’s territorial integrity and national security is to acquire nuclear weapons,” said a member of the parliament’s presiding board.

“Withdrawing from the NPT, adopting a policy of ambiguity and ultimately testing the atomic bomb is the only option that can spare Iran the fate of Iraq and Libya,” said Ahmad Naderi.

“Experience has shown that countries without nuclear deterrence eventually become victims of invasion or regime change. The time has come to make hard but necessary decisions.”

Iran's foreign ministry in a statement on Friday criticized the three European powers for dismissing "Iran’s reasonable proposal—which they themselves admitted was logical."

The proposal cited by the foreign ministry was presented to European officials during Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s phone call with his counterparts on Wednesday.

According to details of the proposal revealed by Wall Street Journal correspondent Laurence Norman, Iran proposed diluting its 60% uranium stockpile to 20% in exchange for US sanctions relief along with the extension and then voiding of a Security Council Resolution which enables UN sanctions on Iran to resume.

Iran would also pledge to meet with the US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Norman's sources, in an apparent bid to fulfil the Europeans' demand Iran reengages in talks with the US.

Iran, he wrote, would do that in return for a US guarantee against any new military attack.

Highly enriched uranium stocks

The Wall Street Journal's report said that Iran has proposed to "retrieve all the 60% (enriched uranium) it could. Once retrieved, the UNSC would kill Resolution 2231 supporting the JCPOA."

In return, the report added, Iran said it would commence physically retrieving its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium and then diluting it to 20% purity.

The fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile of 400 kg (882 pounds) remains under investigation, while Tehran claims it is trapped under rubble after US attacks on three nuclear sites in June.

“A wise colleague also points out that once Iran retrieves the HEU stockpile, if the deal then stalls, Tehran has solved one big problem it currently faces," Norman said. "Right now, if it retrieves the stockpile, it could face military action. This Iranian suggestion instructs Iran to retrieve it."

The London-based Amwaj Media also reported on Friday that Araghchi had been in touch with Witkoff on the proposal.

'Actionable plan'

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Iran’s Foreign Minister “tried to make a reasonable offer” to reach a deal with European powers but did not receive backing from other members of the Iranian ruling system.

Abbas Araghchi reacted to reports on the proposed deal, saying Tehran provided an “actionable plan.”

“Instead of being met with engagement on the substance of this plan, Iran is now faced with a litany of excuses and outright deflection, including the farcical claim that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not represent the entire political establishment,” Araghchi said.

“I have the full support of the entirety of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including my country's Supreme National Security Council,” he added.