Iran's Foreign Ministry, led by Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said on Sunday that it considers the actions taken by France, Britain, Germany (collectively known as the E3) and the United States to reinstate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanction resolutions on Iran as "illegal and unjustified."

The ministry issued this statement hours after UN sanctions against Iran were re-imposed, 10 years after being lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran and world powers.

The statement asserted that Iran "rejects the claims by the three European countries and the United States regarding the reinstatement of previous resolutions, which were terminated under Resolution 2231 (endorsing the JCPOA) in 2015," stressing that no obligation arises for UN members, including Iran, from the annulled resolutions' provisions and mechanisms.

The ministry called on all countries to refrain from recognizing the "illegal situation," which it argued contradicts UNSC Resolution 2231. It accused the E3 and the United States of "abusing" the dispute resolution mechanism outlined in the JCPOA and Resolution 2231.

According to the statement, Iran will "firmly defend its rights and national interests," warning that any move to harm those interests "will be met with an appropriate and resolute response."

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, Araghchi described the invocation of the "snapback" mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions as a "clear abuse of process," according to the ministry.

Last month, the E3 formally invoked the snapback mechanism, which allows for the re-imposition of UN sanctions within 30 days if Iran is found to be in breach of the JCPOA.

On September 19, the UNSC failed to adopt a resolution that would have extended sanctions relief for Iran under the JCPOA. A subsequent resolution, seeking to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass in the UNSC on Friday. The sanctions were re-imposed on Saturday evening.