Washington, DC – Ryan Costello, Policy Director with the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement regarding today’s negotiations between the E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) and Iran regarding the Iranian nuclear program. The E3 have threatened to invoke “snapback,” or the return of six prior UN Security Council Resolutions that were terminated by the 2015 nuclear deal, unless Iran agrees to various nuclear concessions.
“While the diplomats involved have expressed a degree of pessimism regarding this latest round of negotiations, this standoff is one that is imminently resolvable with realistic expectations for what can be achieved. Yet, it is not clear that any party is willing to show the flexibility needed to forestall snapback and prevent further escalation.
“While a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was achieved, it remains a brittle one. If the diplomatic dominoes begin to fall with snapback, paths to resolve this conflict peacefully will become much more difficult, while Benjamin Netanyahu will be presented with a golden opportunity to reignite the war and pull the United States into it. While that might serve the narrow political interests of Netanyahu, it would be anathema to the interests of all the other parties involved.
“The Europeans should play their modest hand wisely at this critical juncture. Iran may be willing to make concessions to forestall the return of UN sanctions – and should do so. Yet it is also unrealistic to expect Iran will make major commitments when major concessions are not offered in turn. The hour is growing short to narrow the gaps in these positions and turn positive promises at the table into concrete action. More effective diplomacy is needed, or this diplomatic gambit will merely serve as a missed opportunity on the path back to a damaging and self-defeating war.”
###