China and Russia have joined Iran in opposing a European push to reinstate UN sanctions on Tehran. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany invoked the “snapback mechanism” from the 2015 nuclear deal, citing Iran’s breaches of the agreement. In response, the foreign ministers of China, Russia, and Iran condemned the move as “legally and procedurally flawed” and urged a diplomatic solution, Reuters reported.

The 2015 nuclear deal lifted sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program, but after the US withdrawal in 2018, Iran began exceeding uranium enrichment limits. The agreement is set to expire in October 2025, and the European snapback effort aims to restore sanctions unless blocked by the UN Security Council.

China, Russia, and Iran stress that Europe’s action undermines diplomacy and violate the spirit of the agreement, according to Reuters.