Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program is “legally invalid,” following the failure of a UN Security Council vote on Friday to postpone the measure.

Speaking before the Security Council, Araghchi stated that the European Troika (Germany, France, and Britain) activating the “snapback mechanism” to reinstate sanctions is “legally void, politically reckless, and procedurally flawed.”

He added, “France, Germany, and Britain have chosen confrontation over dialogue,” urging the Security Council to deem the sanctions reimposition unlawful.

Araghchi further warned, “Sanctions will harm the Iranian people,” and said, “America and European countries will bear severe consequences for reimposing sanctions on Tehran.”

In a press conference following his speech, Araghchi asserted that the sanctions would fail and that dialogue is the only solution. He emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that Tehran remained committed to the nuclear agreement even after Washington’s withdrawal.

He concluded, “We hope the coming hours will offer a chance to delay the sanctions.”

This comes after a joint Russian-Chinese effort to postpone the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran failed in the 15-member Security Council, with only four countries voting in favor of the draft resolution—opening the door for sanctions to be reinstated.

All UN sanctions on Iran are scheduled to be reimposed at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday (0000 GMT), following accusations by France, Germany, and Britain—known as the European Troika—that Tehran violated the 2015 agreement aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.