Iran publicly rejected a series of “unreasonable” European conditions during recent high-stakes talks aimed at preventing the reimposition of all United Nations sanctions, a senior Iranian official revealed on Thursday.
Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated that while Tehran accepted many European demands to “remove excuses,” it stood firm against proposals it deemed unacceptable, which he linked directly to a recent “US-Israeli aggression” against its nuclear facilities.
“The Europeans proposed conditions that no rational person would agree to,” Larijani said in an interview with Iran’s national broadcaster, IRIB. He explained that the E3 group—Britain, France, and Germany—demanded a “new design” for Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in exchange for withdrawing their move to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism.
This demand, Larijani asserted, was a direct consequence of the Israeli regime’s 12-day “terrorist assault” in June, which was followed by unlawful US airstrikes on three IAEA-supervised nuclear sites. He condemned the unprecedented military attack on nuclear facilities, which he noted drew no response from international bodies like the IAEA or the UN Security Council.
“Their demand meant we had to set up an entirely new system because our nuclear centers were bombed,” Larijani stated.
The snapback process, initiated by the E3 on August 28, will automatically restore all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran by September 28 unless a diplomatic solution is found. While Larijani downplayed the practical impact of the snapback—noting that 95% of sanctions are already in place—he framed the European demands as an attempt to strip Iran of its sovereign rights.
He revealed that Russia had proposed a six-month delay to allow for negotiations, which Iran accepted. However, the Europeans instead presented further conditions, including a demand for direct talks between Iran and the United States.
“It is interesting that Europe’s condition was for us to negotiate with America. That shows the actual weight of these countries,” Larijani pointed out, suggesting European powers were acting at the behest of Washington.
A key point of contention was the West’s insistence on expanding negotiations to include Iran’s missile program, with a specific demand to limit missile ranges to under 500 kilometers.
“This condition means they want to take away the only significant defensive or deterrent capability we have,” Larijani said. “Naturally, Iran will resist such a condition and not only resist but respond strongly.”
He reaffirmed that Iran is not opposed to dialogue in principle but will not accept pre-determined outcomes. “The problem is not sitting down to talk. No one is against dialogue. But if you say the outcome must only be what they want, no rational person will accept such a negotiation,” he argued.
Larijani concluded by vowing that Iran would maintain and strengthen its military readiness, having learned from the recent attacks. He assured that Tehran has prepared “special mechanisms” to shield the economy and the livelihoods of its people from any further pressure, signaling a nation prepared to endure sanctions rather than capitulate to what it views as unacceptable ultimatums.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
