Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator has warned that Tehran may withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an international accord meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, if European countries move forward with reinstating international sanctions.

On Wednesday, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and a key figure in the nuclear talks, cited a previous decision by former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that Tehran would withdraw from the nuclear accord if UN sanctions were reinstated.

“There was a communication by President Rouhani to his counterparts that if the snapback is triggered, what would be the response of Iran at that time, he wrote that Iran would withdraw from the NPT,” Gharibabadi said during a press conference.

Iran’s threats came just days ahead of the upcoming nuclear talks with the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — collectively known as the E3 — after the trio warned they would reinstate UN sanctions on Tehran if no new agreement is reached by the end of August.

The sanctions were originally lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — which imposed temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for large-scale sanctions relief.

Although the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump’s first administration, Iran and the three European nations have continued to uphold the deal.

Under the terms of the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the 2015 accord, international sanctions could be reimposed on Iran, restoring all previous UN economic penalties including those targeting Iran’s oil, banking, and defense sectors, through a “snapback” mechanism that would take about 30 days. France, Britain, and Germany have indicated the latest time to reactivate the sanctions would be the end of August, with Russia, a close partner of Iran, assuming the Security Council presidency in October.

Many Western governments believe the ultimate purpose of Iran’s nuclear program is to build nuclear weapons. Tehran claims its nuclear activities are for peaceful, civilian purposes.

During this week’s press conference, Gharibabadi emphasized the regime’s commitment to the NPT, even amid “huge pressure at the domestic level” to exit, particularly after the recent 12-day war with Israel.

“After this aggression, the people, parliamentarians, journalists, politicians — they were of the view that now is the time to withdraw from the NPT, because the aggression was worse than the snapback,” Gharibabadi said. “But Iran decided to stay in the NPT.”

“But I’m quite confident that if the snapback is triggered, Iran will not show more restraint in this regard,” the Iranian diplomat said.

He also described Friday’s upcoming meeting with Western powers as highly significant, but warned that its outcome will largely depend on the approach the Europeans take toward Iran.

“We have always valued our meetings with the European countries. But there is an important issue — I think we have always told them that the policies of the European countries should be independent,” Gharibabadi said.

“They should not coordinate their positions with the Americans,” he continued.

Iran has previously warned it will take action if sanctions over its nuclear program are reinstated, without specifying what those measures might be.

“The snapback mechanism is meaningless, unjustifiable, unethical, and illegal,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Baghaei also reaffirmed that the Islamist regime has “no plans to hold talks with the US in the current situation.”

In a Fox News interview aired Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed that Iran will not abandon its uranium enrichment program, despite recent Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.

“We cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,” the top Iranian diplomat said. “Our enrichment is so dear to us.”

On Thursday, Gharibabadi said nuclear talks with the US could resume as long as Tehran’s rights under the NPT are recognized and Washington both builds trust with Tehran and guarantees that negotiations will not lead to renewed military action against Iran.

The US and Iran had conducted five rounds of diplomatic talks over Iran’s nuclear program before Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last month.

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