Britain Warns It Will Activate 'Snapback Mechanism' Against Iran If Necessary

Britain warned that it would activate United Nations sanctions against Iran if necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. This warning was issued on Wednesday following a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the increase in enriched uranium reserves in Iran. These reserves relate to uranium that is close to the level required for producing nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, James Kariuki, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Britain to the United Nations, told reporters: 'We have made it clear that we will take any necessary diplomatic action to prevent [the Islamic Republic of] Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which may include the use of the snapback mechanism.' The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that the Islamic Republic has significantly increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to levels up to 60 percent. This level of uranium enrichment is close to the approximate 90 percent enrichment level required for nuclear weapons production. Western countries believe that no civilian nuclear program requires uranium enrichment at such high levels, and no other country has conducted enrichment similar to that of Iran without having produced nuclear weapons. The meeting regarding Iran's nuclear program was held on Wednesday behind closed doors at the request of six of the fifteen members of the Security Council. The requesting countries included the United States, France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, and Britain. The Islamic Republic's mission to the UN accused the United States of seeking to use the Security Council to escalate its economic war against the Islamic Republic. The US mission to the UN stated after the meeting that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country in the world that produces high-enriched uranium without having nuclear weapons and has no peaceful justification for doing so. This statement accused the Iranian government of violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the commitments of the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling on the UN Security Council to be 'clear and united' in condemning 'this brazen behavior' of the Islamic Republic and addressing it. The Iranian Foreign Minister announced through photos of his meeting with Emirati officials that a letter from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, 'has been received.' The announcement of the receipt of Trump’s letter by Abbas Araghchi came after Ali Khamenei, the leader, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the Islamic Republic's government, had previously reacted to the statements made by the US President regarding the letter. Earlier, American and Israeli officials had said that they would either accept a 'Libya model' agreement regarding the Islamic Republic or would have to take military action. The Israeli ambassador to the US emphasized in a television interview that the only effective solution to stop Iran's nuclear program is an agreement similar to the Libya model, which includes the complete destruction of nuclear infrastructure and the collection of enriched uranium in Iran based on verification. Meanwhile, American Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called on Sunday, March 10, for a complete halt to enrichment activities by the Islamic Republic and the removal of high-enriched uranium from Iran. This senior member of the US Congress told Fox News, 'In my opinion, a good agreement is as follows: [the Islamic Republic] Iran should have no enrichment. All high-enriched uranium should be removed from Iran; I am willing to buy it from them and allow Iran to have nuclear energy, provided that the fuel rods are supplied by Russia or China or an international group.' With Ali Khamenei's opposition to negotiations with the US, the price of the dollar in Iran remains fluctuating above 90,000 tomans. The US at the Security Council: Iran's nuclear program is a threat to global peace and security. Araghchi: Trump's letter received. The US: Committed to preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. China is negotiating with Moscow and Tehran regarding the Iranian nuclear issue. A senior European official called the Islamic Republic's support for Russia a major global threat. The National Security Council of the White House responded to Pezeshkian: There are still two options, military or agreement.