TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned efforts by the United States and three European nations to reactivate expired United Nations sanctions against Tehran, describing the move as “unjustified and illegal” and warning it delivers “an unprecedented blow to diplomacy.”

Araghchi made the remarks on Monday during a meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, where he strongly criticized Washington and its European allies for invoking the snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal. The mechanism was designed to reimpose sanctions in cases of non-compliance but, according to Tehran, no longer holds validity after the US withdrew from the accord in 2018.

Speaking to reporters in New York before his meeting with Guterres, Araghchi said he had held more than 31 bilateral meetings, during which agreements were reached on expanding economic cooperation. He described the Global Development Initiative summit, held at China’s initiative, as “a very important conference,” and also pointed to Iran’s role in promoting the commemoration of the 1,500th anniversary of the Prophet’s birth within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

He explained that his meeting with Guterres would focus on Iran’s “final positions on the snapback issue,” stressing that negotiations over the past week had been intense. “We were confronted with attempts to extract concessions from the Islamic Republic of Iran — demands that were completely unreasonable,” he said. “In contrast, we offered our own proposals, which were entirely reasonable and even acknowledged as such by the Europeans.”

Araghchi noted that numerous meetings had been held with the three European powers, the UN Secretary General, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in an effort to reach compromise. However, he said these efforts failed because of “the excessive demands of the United States and the alignment of European states with Washington.”

Later, during his meeting with Guterres, the Iranian foreign minister stressed that all restrictions imposed on Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 were scheduled to expire on October 18. He accused the European trio—Britain, France, and Germany—of aligning with Washington’s “unlawful pressure campaign” instead of fulfilling their commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The dispute escalated on September 19 when the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution aimed at preventing the automatic reimposition of sanctions. The E3 had triggered the snapback mechanism, accusing Iran of failing to uphold JCPOA commitments. A follow-up resolution, which sought to extend both the JCPOA framework and Resolution 2231 by six months, also failed to gain approval on Friday.

With both measures rejected, the sanctions were reinstated at midnight GMT on Sunday. The restored bans freeze Iranian assets abroad, prohibit arms sales to and from Iran, and place renewed restrictions on the country’s defensive missile program.

Tehran has repeatedly dismissed the move as illegitimate, arguing that Washington forfeited any legal authority to invoke JCPOA mechanisms after walking away from the agreement. Araghchi said the European powers’ decision to side with Washington not only undermines the nuclear deal but also erodes trust in diplomatic processes.

Araghchi also highlighted recent military actions against Iran, accusing both the US and Israel of targeting Iran’s territorial integrity and nuclear facilities in June, even as diplomatic negotiations were ongoing. “The illegal assault on our peaceful nuclear facilities is a gross violation of international norms and demands accountability for the aggressors,” he said, describing the attacks as a breach of international law and the UN Charter.

In addition, the foreign minister denounced Washington’s repeated breaches of the UN Headquarters Agreement, which he said have restricted the movements and activities of Iranian delegations in New York. He urged Guterres to address the violations and ensure that Iran’s diplomats can carry out their duties without obstruction.

For his part, Secretary General Guterres reiterated the importance of diplomacy, calling on all parties to resolve disputes through political and legal channels. He said the UN Secretariat stood ready to assist in these efforts and emphasized the necessity for the United States, as host country, to uphold its obligations under the Headquarters Treaty.