Tehran: Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has told a parliamentary commission that any misuse of the ‘snapback’ mechanism to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran would be met with a ‘severe’ response. Araqchi made the warning as he was briefing members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on the latest round of indirect talks with the United States.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the committee, conveyed that the foreign minister emphasized Iran’s preference for diplomacy while warning of a harsh response to any activation of the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism. The three European signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)-Britain, France, and Germany-face an October 18 deadline to invoke the ‘snapback’ mechanism, a clause embedded in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal. These nations have threatened to trigger the mechanism if no deal is reached in the ongoing talks between Iran and the U.S.

Iran has cautioned that it would exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if the Europeans ‘snap back’ the international sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which were lifted under the JCPOA. Araqchi presented a report to commission members on the latest round of talks with the U.S., stressing that Iran ‘does not negotiate under pressure’ and that the discussions remain focused solely on the nuclear issue, Rezaei said.

The spokesperson also noted that Araqchi pointed out Israel’s opposition to any uranium enrichment inside Iran. While welcoming the idea of a regional enrichment center, the foreign minister rejected the prospect of halting enrichment inside the Islamic Republic, he said. ‘Araqchi also warned that all countries in the region will be harmed in the event of a war,’ Rezaei added.

Rezaei mentioned that some lawmakers believe that negotiating with Washington is futile, citing the continued imposition of new sanctions despite the ongoing talks. Araqchi has led five rounds of negotiations-three in Muscat and two in Rome-with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi. Witkoff has stated that Washington would not accept any level of uranium enrichment by Iran as part of any potential agreement to replace the JCPOA, which Trump withdrew the U.S. from during his first term as president.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has denounced such a demand as ‘excessive and outrageous,’ indicating that negotiations with the U.S. were unlikely to yield results. Tehran asserts its right to enrich uranium as a member of the NPT.