Speaking at Tabriz University on Thursday, Zarif said snapback, as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, was neither a late-stage bargaining chip nor limited to his private talks with then US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Lavrov on Wednesday blamed Zarif for the inclusion of the snapback mechanism in the nuclear deal, describing it as a “legal trap” set ahead of the 2015 accord.
Zarif accused Lavrov and French officials of proposing a damaging Security Council approach toward Iran that Tehran resisted.
He recalled that in 2020, when the US sought to reimpose sanctions via snapback while Iran had scaled back JCPOA commitments, 13 Security Council members signaled Washington could not act unilaterally: 11 abstained and Russia and China voted against further measures.
The former foreign minister noted that Russia had previously supported UN resolutions under an earlier Iranian administration.
Defending Iran’s nuclear record, Zarif said Tehran had preserved its ability to resume certain activities and published documents to the UN as evidence.
He reiterated support for strategic ties with Russia and China but warned their policies do not always serve Iranian interests, and urged diplomacy over confrontation in regional affairs.
