Abbas Moqtadaei, a member of Iran’s National Security Committee, warned that Tehran may suspend its regional security commitments — including in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz — if European nations activate the “trigger mechanism” to reimpose international sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal.
He emphasized that Iran possesses multiple options to respond and cautioned Europe against exposing itself to security risks amid its own tensions with Russia, China, and the U.S.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei ruled out talks with the U.S. at this stage and blamed European powers for failing to uphold their nuclear agreement commitments. Ahead of Friday’s Istanbul meeting with France, Germany, and Britain, Baghaei described the trigger mechanism as “unjustified and immoral” and asserted that Iran’s reduction in compliance was within the bounds of the deal.
Separately, Iran will host trilateral nuclear consultations with Russia and China in Tehran. Ali Larijani, advisor to Supreme Leader Khamenei, recently delivered a message from President Massoud Pezeshkian to Vladimir Putin, signaling ongoing diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
In parallel, the EU sanctioned Hossein “Hector” Shamkhani, son of former Iranian security chief Ali Shamkhani, for playing a key role in circumventing oil sanctions via a “shadow fleet” moving Russian crude. Two of his companies were also targeted.
