Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's Parliament, has warned countries that abide by newly restored U.N. sanctions that Iran will enact a "reciprocal response."
Qalibaf's comments came after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran early Sunday over its nuclear program.
"We declare that if any country takes action against Iran based on these illegally reimposed resolutions, it will be met with a reciprocal response from Iran," he said, according to PressTV, an Iranian state-run propaganda network.
The sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran's ballistic missile program, among other measures. They came via a mechanism known as "snapback," included in Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and come as Iran's economy is already reeling.
Iran's rial currency sits at a record low, increasing pressure on food prices and making daily life more challenging. That has driven up the price of meat, rice, and other staples.
Snapback was designed to be veto-proof at the U.N. Security Council, meaning China and Russia could not stop it alone, as they have other proposed actions against Iran in the past.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called them a "trap" for Iran on Saturday.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered snapback over Iran 30 days ago for its further restricting monitoring of its nuclear program and the deadlock over its negotiations with the U.S.
"The three European countries behind this unlawful move will also see our reaction," Qalibaf said.
Iran has further argued that the three European nations shouldn't be allowed to implement snapback, pointing in part to the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018, during President Donald Trump's first term.
The country recalled its ambassadors to France, Germany, and the U.K. for consultations ahead of the sanctions being reimposed, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the three European nations for "an act of decisive global leadership" for imposing the sanctions on Iran.
"President Trump has been clear that diplomacy is still an option — a deal remains the best outcome for the Iranian people and the world," Rubio said in a statement. "For that to happen, Iran must accept direct talks."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.