Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed the “baseless” rumors regarding the cancellation of Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) after the European troika – France, Germany, and Britain – triggered the so-called snapback mechanism against the country.
In an interview on Wednesday, Araghchi commented on his recent trip to China with President Masoud Pezeshkian.
On the rumors regarding the revocation of Iran’s membership in the SCO following the activation of the snapback mechanism, he said, “No such clause exists, and this issue was not discussed at the recent meeting. In fact, the SCO member countries have expressed their support for the Islamic Republic of Iran in this way.”
Additionally, the top diplomat discussed the developments between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stating, “Given these developments, we are currently negotiating how and within what framework our cooperation with the Agency should proceed. In fact, the Agency has acknowledged that new circumstances require a new framework for our cooperation.”
Negotiations are currently ongoing, and no new cooperation will take place until they are concluded, he said, adding, “We are not afraid of negotiations, just as we are not afraid of war.”
Araghchi added that joint initiatives are in progress to address how the country will respond to European states’ attempts to invoke the so-called snapback mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He said, “There are joint initiatives with Russia and China regarding how to deal with the ‘snapback,’ and our diplomats in New York are in contact with their Russian and Chinese counterparts over the matter.”
“We will take every necessary step to make the world understand that this European move is illegal and lacks legitimacy,” Araghchi added.
