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

The ministry made the announcement in a statement, hours after UN sanctions against Iran came back into force 10 years after having been lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between the country and world powers.

It said that Iran "rejects the claim by the three European countries and the United States about the reinstatement of the previous resolutions that have been terminated under Resolution 2231 (that endorses the JCPOA) in 2015, and stresses that no obligation arises for UN members, including Iran, from the annulled resolutions' provisions and mechanisms."

The statement called on all countries to refrain from recognizing the "illegal situation, which is in contradiction with UNSC Resolution 2231," accusing the E3 and the United States of "abusing" the dispute resolution mechanism of the JCPOA and Resolution 2231.

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

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the invocation of the "snapback" mechanism to reinstate the UN sanctions was a "clear abuse of process," according to the ministry.

Last month, the E3 formally invoked the snapback mechanism, which allowed for the re-imposition of UN sanctions within 30 days if Iran was deemed 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, which sought 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.