Iran's deputy foreign minister criticises European powers over sanctions plan

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran on Friday criticised a move by European powers to impose international sanctions by the end of the month if Tehran does not meet conditions, including access for U.N. nuclear inspectors.

"What Europeans are doing is politically biased and politically motivated ... They are wrong on different levels by trying to misuse the mechanism embedded in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in Geneva.

European powers will likely reimpose international sanctions on Iran by the end of the month after their latest round of talks with Tehran aimed at preventing them were deemed not serious, France's President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Britain, France and Germany, the so-called E3, launched a 30-day process at the end of August to reimpose U.N. sanctions. They set conditions for Tehran to meet during September to convince them to delay the "snapback mechanism".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said later on Thursday that he had presented a "reasonable and actionable plan."

The offer by the E3 to put off the snapback for up to six months to enable serious negotiations is conditional on Iran restoring access for U.N. nuclear inspectors - who would also seek to account for Iran's large stock of enriched uranium - and engaging in talks with the U.S.

Khatibzadeh said all options are on the table if diplomacy fails.

"If Europeans go on this path, they are making the level of unpredictability to the highest level possible, and they are responsible for...any possible future risks," he said.

The U.N. Security Council will vote on Friday on a resolution that would permanently lift U.N. sanctions on Iran. It is likely to fail to get the minimum nine votes needed to pass, say diplomats, and if it did it would be vetoed by the United States, Britain or France.

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Editing by Miranda Murray)