Russia blasts Europe's Iran sanctions move
"We strongly urge them to reconsider and review their erroneous decisions before they lead to irreparable consequences and further tragedy," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
It accused the European trio of undermining diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme.
Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a party to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
The three countries, also dubbed the E3, notified the UN Security Council on Thursday that they "believe Iran to be in significant non-performance of its commitments" under the agreement, according to a letter seen by AFP.
The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany said invoked the process known as "the 'snapback' mechanism," which initiates a 30-day deadline for reimposing sanctions suspended under the 2015 accord.
Iran warned that it would "respond appropriately" to the move which risks drawing a curtain on the most sustained diplomatic push for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.
Tehran and Moscow have been bolstering political, military and economic ties over the past decade as Russia drifted away from the West. Relations between the two countries grew even closer after Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine.
Rubio says US open to 'direct engagement' with Iran as Europeans restore sanctions
Washington (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 -
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington sought direct talks with Iran on ending its nuclear program after European powers moved to restore sanctions on Tehran.
Rubio welcomed the Europeans' "snapback" of sanctions, long pushed by President Donald Trump, but said: "At the same time, the United States remains available for direct engagement with Iran -- in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue."
"Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it," Rubio said in a statement.
"I urge Iranian leaders to take the immediate steps necessary to ensure that their nation will never obtain a nuclear weapon; to walk the path of peace; and to, by extension, advance prosperity for the Iranian people."
France, Britain and Germany earlier Thursday triggered a mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear program -- a step that was a top goal for Trump in his first term and which caused major friction between the United States and Europe.
Trump in his second term has swung sharply in different directions on Iran, insisting he sought a negotiated settlement but then ordering US air strikes on nuclear sites in support of an Israeli military campaign.
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