"This decision by the three European countries will seriously undermine the ongoing process of interaction and cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," the foreign ministry said in a statement, calling the move a "provocative and unnecessary escalation".
Britain, France and Germany -- known as the E3 -- triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism after weeks of warnings, citing Iran's continued non-compliance with its commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
The move took place just days after Iranian and European diplomats held talks in Geneva, the second since Israel and the United States attacked its nuclear facilities during a 12-day war between Iran and Israel this year.
In an earlier phone call with his European counterparts, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would respond "appropriately to this illegal and unjustified action ... in order to protect and guarantee its national rights and interests," according to a statement from his ministry.
He called on the three countries to "appropriately correct this wrong decision in the coming days".
While Araghchi did not specify what measures Iran might take, Tehran has previously warned that such a move could lead to the exclusion of the European powers from any future negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.
On Wednesday Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that if the snapback was triggered, "the path of interaction that we have now opened with the International Atomic Energy Agency will also be completely affected and will probably stop".
He made the remarks following the return of IAEA inspectors to Iran to oversee fuel replacement operations at the key nuclear facility in Bushehr, in the country's southwest.
It was the first IAEA team to arrive since Iran suspended cooperation with the agency over the agency's failure to condemn the Israeli and US strikes.
Tehran has since said that future cooperation with the agency will take "a new form".
The 12-day war with Israel has also derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that had begun in April with the aim of reaching a deal to replace the failed 2015 accord.
The 2015 deal was torpedoed in 2018 when Donald Trump, during his first term as president, unilaterally withdrew the United States and slapped crippling sanctions on Iran.
Rubio says US open to 'direct engagement' with Iran as Europeans restore sanctions
Washington (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 -
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington sought direct talks with Iran on ending its nuclear program after European powers moved to restore sanctions on Tehran.
Rubio welcomed the Europeans' "snapback" of sanctions, long pushed by President Donald Trump, but said: "At the same time, the United States remains available for direct engagement with Iran -- in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue."
"Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it," Rubio said in a statement.
"I urge Iranian leaders to take the immediate steps necessary to ensure that their nation will never obtain a nuclear weapon; to walk the path of peace; and to, by extension, advance prosperity for the Iranian people."
France, Britain and Germany earlier Thursday triggered a mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear program -- a step that was a top goal for Trump in his first term and which caused major friction between the United States and Europe.
Trump in his second term has swung sharply in different directions on Iran, insisting he sought a negotiated settlement but then ordering US air strikes on nuclear sites in support of an Israeli military campaign.
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