Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has said that Tehran told Europe's top three powers that the revival of the "snapback" mechanism, reimposing UN sanctions on Tehran, will have consequences.
Baghaei said on Tuesday that Tehran told Europeans during a meeting in Geneva that they do not have the right to trigger the mechanism, adding both sides would continue nuclear talks in the coming days.
Senior officials from Iran and Europe's top three powers met in Geneva to discuss the Westerners' demand that Iran revive nuclear inspections and diplomacy or face the reimposition of sanctions that were lifted under a 2015 deal.
France, Britain and Germany, known as the E3, have long threatened to trigger the "snapback" of sanctions at the United Nations Security Council by October, when the now largely defunct nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers expires.
They have more recently said they plan to decide by the end of August unless Iran offers concessions that could convince them to hold off for a short time, often referred to as an extension.
Talks are tense as Iran is furious at the bombing in June of its nuclear facilities by the US and Israel, the E3's allies.
Resumption of UN inspections
"We are going to see whether the Iranians are credible about an extension or whether they are messing us around. We want to see whether they have made any progress on the conditions we set to extend," one E3 official said.
Those conditions are the resumption of UN inspections, including accounting for Iran's large stock of enriched uranium, and engaging in diplomacy, including with the United States.
Iran has repeatedly ruled out direct talks with Washington.
Israel and the United States have said they needed to strike Iran's uranium enrichment sites because it was making such rapid advances towards being able to produce a nuclear weapon.
Tehran denies any intent to develop atomic bombs.
Enrichment drive
Iran has been enriching uranium to up to 60 percent fissile purity, a short step from the roughly 90 percent of weapons-grade, and had enough material enriched to that level, if refined further, for six nuclear weapons before the strikes started on June 13.
Actually producing a weapon would take more time, however, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said that, while it cannot guarantee Tehran's nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, it has no credible indication of a coordinated weapons project in the country.
While Iran's enrichment plants were badly damaged or destroyed in the June war, Tehran has not granted the IAEA access to them since then, arguing that it is not safe for inspectors. The status and whereabouts of Iran's large stockpile of enriched uranium are also unclear.
"Due to the damage to our nuclear sites, we need to agree on a new plan with the agency — and we’ve conveyed that to IAEA officials," one Iranian official said.
