Transcript of Press TV interview, 29 August

Transcript submitted by a reader

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/08/29/753998/SLAMMING-ILLEGAL-SNAPBACK

PressTV: 0:19
Hello and welcome to “Spotlight”. Iran’s ambassador to the UN has strongly rejected and condemned the E3 push to activate the snapback mechanism against Iran, which would reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program. Amir Saeedi Avani said the decision undermines Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA and constitutes an unnecessary and provocative escalation. Iranian foreign minister has also issued a stern warning to the European Troika, namely France, Germany and the UK, accusing them of colluding with Israel and the United States to maliciously pressure the Iranian people. We’ll be discussing the different aspects of this snapback mechanism and more on this edition of Spotlight. Here are our guests for tonight’s show.

1:08
Independent International Affairs Analyst Gilbert Doctorow joining us from Brussels. And we also have political commentator Massoud Shadjareh joining us from the British capital, London.

1:27
Welcome to the program. Let’s start off with Mr. Massoud Shadjareh. In London, Iran has rejected the invoking of the snapback mechanism as illegal and illegitimate. Tehran says that any attempt to revive these past sanctions would be a serious blow to diplomacy and a violation of the JCPOA itself. Give us your perspective on this route taken by the E3.

Shadjareh:
It really is outrageous that after all these years, the incompetent of Europeans after Trump pulled out, out of the deal and put sanctions against Iran. European nations said Iran should stay in and they will find ways of addressing the grievance of Iran and addressing the sort of the needs and aspiration of Iran, which was supposed to be ensured under JCPOA.

2:28
But they did nothing as such. As a matter of fact, they were the cause, not just Trump, but they were the cause of undermining and making JCPOA abandoned completely, despite the fact that Iran stood by its commitment right the way through. So here at the 11th hour, to jump in and try to actually claim that there is suddenly Iran has not adhered to his commitment. It is an abuse of the process, it’s undermining the spirit of the agreement and indeed it really is what I could only describe, that is, sort of trying to change the rules halfway through, just to put further pressure and support the Zionist state, which we have seen over the almost two years, they have done so.

3:31
Even they have not just supported Zionist state, but they have supported this genocide and equipped it to be able to commit this genocide. So I think in one way we can’t sort of expect anything else, but from the other side, it really this action undermines every aspect of sort of fair play and adhering to the spirit of the JCPOA.

PressTV: 3:57
Let’s bring in Gilbert Doctorow from Brussels. Mr. Doctorow, Iran’s foreign minister has called the activation of the snapback mechanism immoral, unjustified and unlawful.

Please walk us through these main talking points about the snapback activation. In addition to that, Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeedi Ravani earlier said the decision undermines Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA and constitutes an unnecessary and provocative escalation.

Doctorow: 4:29
Well, this news item that you are now raising is getting attention even of mainstream in the West. “Financial Times” reported precisely on this issue of Iran being prepared to stop its cooperation with the International Atomic Agency if the snapback proceeds. At the same time, I would say that this is occurring at a propitious moment for Iran, because you will have every opportunity to consult with close friends and allies in the coming several days in China.

5:05
Your delegation is taking part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization annual meeting. I believe your presence will be there. And surely they will find the time with Mr. Putin and perhaps with other important decision makers who will be there of the 26 countries taking part. You’ll have an opportunity to go over what remedies that Iran may have to strike back against this discriminatory and unjustified decision, which appears to be made in Europe.

PressTV 5:49
Masoud Shadjareh, earlier today, Iran’s UN envoy, Mr. Amir Saeedi Avani, called on other UNSC members to defend the rule of law and act responsibly. What should other members of the UNSC be doing in this regard?

Shadjareh:
Well, I think this implementation of switching this procedure, it has much more fundamental impact than what it will, impact that it will have on Iran. The reality is that it sort of makes mockery of any sort of negotiation or diplomacy or international law.

The reality is that, you know, if they could change the law, if they could abuse any agreement, clear agreement in this way, then they could do it to anybody else. And basically it’s a signal, as I was saying earlier on, that they will change the law of the game, in the middle of the game, just to implement their wishes and abuse the principles. Here, by doing so, they’re abusing principles of diplomacy, principles of fair play.

7:11
You know, every aspect of international relations is undermined because everyone, everyone could see how unfair it is, how abusive it is and how it’s been designed just to provoke. And I think no international body, no matter what part of the world they are, they can no longer trust agreements, like JCPOA and other agreements, internationally, if indeed this one be abused so clearly, so openly and so publicly. I agree with my colleague, the other contributor, that we have to wait and see what China and Russia and other nations are going to do. But the fact is this: that I believe there is a lot more at stake than just what is happening in Europe.

PressTV: 8:06
Mr. Doctorow, would you like to add anything to that? In that regard, actually, China and Russia have also condemned the activation of the snapback mechanism by the European troika. Moscow warned that reimposing sanctions against Iran could bring grave consequences, and it called it a, quote, “erroneous decision”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says the trio is undermining diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue. Walk us through those reactions, if you may, because Iran has put forth questions whether the European trio is acting independently or simply following US policy.

Doctorow: 8:45
You’ve just taken words from my mouth. I was about to say precisely that. You are approaching this from a standpoint of fairness, rationality, and diplomacy. I’m afraid to say that all of those parameters do not apply in what is taking place, because Europe is only interested in currying favor with the United States at this moment, because the Europeans are scared out of their wits about how to deal with Russia when they are not equal to the Russians’ military force and when they are provoking, constantly poking the Russian bear in the eye.

So unfortunately, Iran is an innocent victim of a different set of considerations, which are really the European dependency and, say, slavish dependency on the United States and their hope that following Mr. Trump’s lead on this issue, they will be rewarded, patted on the head, and get what they want from the United States with respect to Ukraine. So, you are regrettably paying a price in the irrational and unreasonable behavior of the Europeans.

10:12
However, from the wild side world, looking from a standpoint of the global south, I think Europe has lost all credibility. And it appears to be weak, indecisive, and dependent, and lacking in sovereignty. So in that context, I think Iran does not have to feel abused. And I think you will receive very good counsel and support from the countries with which your president will be meeting in China in the next few days.

PressTV: 10:52
Massoud Shadjareh, in a joint statement, the E3 envoys to the UN accused Iran of abandoning almost all of its JCPOA commitments since 2019. What about all of Europe’s shortcomings in the implementation of the JCPOA? Why does Iran have to do all the heavy lifting here? Why has Iran always been the one to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the JCPOA afloat?

Shadjareh:
I mean, you couldn’t make comedy like that. In reality, it is that, you know, everyone around the world, any fair-minded person, will know that Iran went more than an extra mile to adhere to its responsibility, its commitment, but those commitments were undermined first by United States and Trump’s administration. And then it was sort of the same thing happened with the Europeans, so weak that they couldn’t really be a player.

And they just made [xxxxx] to the United States, and they weren’t able to save anything whatsoever of the agreement and they undermined it. But you know, the point I think at this hour and this time is that we need to understand that what Iranians and Iran and indeed fair-minded people in the global South will think right now is that you can’t trust, you can’t do a political deal, You can’t do a deal with the Europeans or Americans. And the fact of the matter is that really what is at here now is that we have to make a stand. Iran has to make a stand. Iran and its allies need to come together recognizing the negotiation.

12:52
If indeed this is implemented by the UN, then really it leaves no room whatsoever for any further negotiation. And I think this is the key. We are saying, we are seeing the beginning of end of international relations and international fair play, international law. And we have seen that being battered so badly over the last two years with Gaza being treated the way it has and the genocide has been supported by these nations. Now we are seeing that’s going further.

13:33
The weakness of Europeans is actually showing itself that they cannot possibly be involved in any international negotiation and be their own voice and their own action.

PressTV:
Gilbert Doctorow, Iran has been calling out the double standard here. Tehran believes it has already demonstrated its peaceful intentions, pointing to years of cooperation with the IAEA and full transparency under the NPT. But the Israeli regime that is carrying out a genocide as we speak possesses nuclear weapons without scrutiny while Iran has constantly been punished for its civilian nuclear energy program and civilian nuclear technology.

Doctorow: 14:23
Well, this double standard has been maintained under a situation of American global domination when it was not subject to a voice of reason or to measures of decency because “might made right”.

We are witnessing now the deterioration, collapse of that system. Frankly speaking, although Mr. Trump may not be a favorite politician in Iran, he is doing what he can to dismantle and destroy the underpinnings of American global domination. So in the longer run, this man who has not been very kind to Iran and who has certainly given the signal to the Europeans to make the decision which you have been decrying today, in the long run I believe that Mr. Trump is doing what he can to move to a multi-polar world, peculiar as that may sound to your audience today.

PressTV: 15:36
Massoud Shadjarah, with regards to the issue of international law, we spoke to a commentator a few days ago here on PressTV. He said, why are we even talking about international law at all? Because the issue of international law at this point is moot. Do you see it in that light as well?

Shadjareh:
Yeah, I think we really need to revalue and re-adjust our sort of even terminology when we say “double standard” or “international law”. It’s not a double standard. I think now with the blanket removed from our eyes, we could see quite clearly that it’s always, always supposed to be the same standard. This, it wasn’t a double standard, it’s an illusion that there will be a treatment, same treatment for the state of Israel as there is for Iran or anybody else around the world.

16:38
Lebanon, Syria, the reality is that it is always supposed to be this double standard. This was the standard, not double standard. And I think now we also see after almost two years of genocide in Gaza, that international law was always supposed to be misused and abused by the colonial power to implement their policies. I would even go further and say democracy has been exposed as well. You know, right across the Europe and Western world, overwhelming majority of people want end to this genocide, but the leadership, despite the strong feeling within all these nations, is not only [not] stopping it, but actually fueling it, giving free military equipment, finances and political support, and it goes on and on.

17:39
I think we need to sort of revalue that. Was there ever going to be a UN coming at 11th hour and saving the day? I would say no. Was there ever going to be equality in [inter]national law? No. Was there ever going to be equality in treaties and treatment of different nations? No.

I mean, now it’s very clear. We need to sort of sit back and say that we are in a juncture. Either we go along with the way that the Western powers are pushing us towards a future with genocide as the norm, or we oppose it and we change all the systems and have systems that are fit for purpose rather than fit for [revolution].

PressTV 18:28
Mr. Doctorow, Iran expects respect from the E3 and not pressure, especially regarding its right to enrich uranium under the NPT. Hasn’t that route of pressure proven to be ineffective? We can look at all the unilateral sanctions and the maximum pressure campaign that was spearheaded by Washington for all these years?

Doctorow:
Yes, well, of course the sanctions have been painful for Iran. It would be a mistake to underestimate the damage that has been done. Russia is the example of a country that has successfully resisted the greatest number of imposed sanctions in history. But Russia is a different country, a different economy, different scale of population, and it has been uniquely prepared to manage these sanctions. Iran has done very well, but it has suffered to a greater extent. And what is about to be reimposed if this happens? I believe you have four to six weeks to negotiate this and find some amicable solution.

19:46
But if it is imposed, of course, that will be a hardship. The question is, what will Iran’s friends and allies propose to do to alleviate this pain and in turn to inflict pain on the Europeans for the injustice they are considering. And if you look at the changing balance between Europe and the rest of the world, you will find that it is at a disadvantage today; its ability to impose willy-nilly its demands on a country like Iran is deteriorating.

20:38
This– for that to continue, it is imperative that you reach agreements with fellow members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and with BRICS because essentially the three founding members and most important driving forces of BRICS of which you are now a member will be in attendance in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Pacific Theater. So you have an opportunity. I hope that it is used effectively. And there must be a united action, not only to assist Iran, but to impose pain on those who want to use the snapback.

PressTV: 21:29
Mr. Shadjareh, let’s wrap up this segment of the program with this final question. Of course, we’re running short of time, so I’m going to ask you to be brief.

Iran says that it’s still open to dialogue, but has always insisted the trust must go both ways. If the West wants progress, It has to stop making threats and start recognizing Iran’s legal rights. But we haven’t seen much trust building from the Western governments, have we?

Shadjareh:
No, we haven’t. I mean, I think Iran, ideologically, doesn’t want to close the door and wants to show both internally and externally that is indeed looking for a solution.

But I think it’s very difficult to see that any solution externally will be available without some sort of pressure from China and from Russia and indeed, global South. And I myself, I will add my voice to all those who are saying that this needs to happen, not just for saving Iran, but indeed to save internationally the ability of everyone else to have some sort of hope for the future because this sort of bullying will not bring us anything except war, genocide and disarray.

PressTV: 22:53
All right, thanks a lot, gentlemen. Political commentator Massoud Shadjareh joining us from London, and independent international affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow joining us from Brussels.

Thank you for contributing to tonight’s program, and a special thanks to our viewers for staying with us on tonight’s edition of “Spotlight”.

23:09
It’s good night for now. See you next time.