THE speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, today dismissed the reimposition of sanctions over its nuclear programme, under the snapback mechanism, as illegal and non-binding. 

Speaking in parliament, Mr Ghalibaf said Tehran’s uranium enrichment will continue under international law, noting that Russia and China have already rejected the move. 

Mr Ghalibaf warned countries acting against Iran based on these “unlawful resolutions” will face a strong retaliatory response.

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran early on Sunday over its nuclear programme.

The sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalise any development of Iran’s ballistic missile programme, among other measures. 

France, Germany and Britain triggered snapback over Iran 30 days ago for its further restricting monitoring of its nuclear programme and the deadlock over its negotiations with the United States.

Iran withdrew from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring after Israel’s unilateral and illegal attack on the country in June, which also saw the US strike nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic. 

Meanwhile, the country still maintains a stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — which is largely enough to make several atomic bombs, should Tehran choose to change its clear policy of using uranium only for peaceful domestic use and, instead move toward creating a nuclear weapon.

The three European nations on Sunday said they “continuously made every effort to avoid triggering snapback.”

But Iran “has not authorised IAEA inspectors to regain access to Iran’s nuclear sites, nor has it produced and transmitted to the IAEA a report accounting for its stockpile of high-enriched uranium.”

Tehran has further argued that the three European nations shouldn’t be allowed to implement snapback, pointing in part to the unilateral withdrawal by the US from the accord in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term.