Araghchi pushes last-ditch diplomacy at UN as Iran braces for sanctions snapback
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pursued urgent diplomacy in New York to block the looming snapback of UN sanctions, warning Western powers against "confrontation," as lawmakers at home demanded radical revisions of Tehran's nuclear doctrine.
TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is using this week's UN General Assembly in New York as a last-ditch diplomatic effort to avert the reinstatement of UN sanctions, warning Western powers that the nuclear standoff has reached a moment of “cooperation or confrontation.”
On Monday, the first day of his visit, Araghchi met International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and foreign ministers from Austria, Egypt, Oman, Poland and Sudan.
Countdown to sanctions
The trip marks one of Tehran's final opportunities to convince world powers before the snapback mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal is expected to formally restore sanctions by the end of September. The mechanism was triggered last week, as the European members of the UN Security Council rejected an automatic extension of Iran sanctions relief.
