Iran fears public backlash if nuclear damage confirmed - Guardian

Diplomacy remains central to shaping global outcomes, even as Western powers move to reimpose UN sanctions through the snapback mechanism, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on Saturday.

“Each diplomatic move can influence the course of dialogue and global decisions,” Araghchi said in a commentary published by the Iran newspaper. He said the ministry is working to document what he called US and Israeli violations and is pursuing legal channels to respond.

The article came after Britain, France and Germany said they would begin the snapback process at the UN, which could restore sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Araghchi said Iran continues talks with neighbors and major powers like China and Russia while promoting what he called “a practical strategy of regional cooperation.” He added that Iran’s diplomacy operates across political, economic, legal and media fields, not just formal negotiations.

“These efforts build an image of Iran not as a country under pressure, but one that is active, creative and influential,” he wrote.

The head of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission said the activation of the UN snapback mechanism by European powers would not affect the country’s strategic calculations.

“Snapback has no impact on the equation,” Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday, according to Fars News Agency.

“Europe is hanging onto the United States and lacks the capacity to push its own agenda,” he said. “They are trying to spread fear in Iran through media pressure, but we should not pay attention to this noise.”

Azizi added that Western powers imposed wide-ranging sanctions during the nuclear deal and failed to lift them despite their commitments. “Snapback plays no real role in this situation,” he said.

He said the commission and parliament would meet next week to discuss the issue and make a decision based on national interests.

The hardliner Kayhan newspaper, funded by Iran's Supreme Leader, called on Tehran to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty after European powers moved to trigger the UN snapback mechanism.

“Europe shamelessly activated the snapback mechanism to hammer the final nail into the JCPOA’s coffin,” the paper wrote. “Iran’s response is just one sentence: withdrawal from the NPT.”

It added that such a move would be “a heavy slap that will upend not just US and European calculations, but the entire balance of power in the region.” Remaining in the treaty, it said, “means mocking national independence and insulting the Iranian people.”

Javan newspaper, which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said European efforts to trigger the UN snapback mechanism are meant to restrict and ultimately paralyze the country’s defense system. The paper said the goal is to turn society against the state, forcing Iran’s military posture into submission and leaving the country vulnerable to broader attacks.

Aday after three European states triggered a UN mechanism that reimposes international sanctions on Iran, the move appeared to wrongfoot Tehran's establishment despite months of warnings.

Iran's new Security Chief, Ali Larijani, seemed to misread the immediacy of the threat in an interview days before the diplomatic setback.

In an interview with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's official website on August 22, Larijani insisted that China and Russia could shield Iran against the snapback threat.

"This issue is currently under review domestically, and as far as I know, some countries are making efforts to negotiate in order to prevent it from happening. Russia and China also hold a different position. They're acting as obstacles."

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  Months in the making, sanctions snapback still stuns Iran's elite