Britain, France, and Germany on Thursday initiated a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran regarding its disputed nuclear program. This move is likely to escalate tensions two months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran.
A senior Iranian official quickly accused the three European powers of undermining diplomacy and insisted that Tehran would not succumb to pressure due to the E3’s initiation of the so-called “snapback mechanism.”
The three powers feared losing the prerogative in mid-October to restore sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear accord with world powers.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that the decision did not signify the end of diplomacy. His German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, urged Iran to fully cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog agency and commit to direct talks with the United States over the next month.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters the decision was “illegal and regrettable” but left the door open for engagement. “The move is an action against diplomacy, not a chance for it. Diplomacy with Europe will continue,” the official said, adding, “Iran will not concede under pressure.”
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors on Friday at the request of the E3 to discuss the snapback move against the Islamic Republic, diplomats said.
Iran and the E3 have held several rounds of talks since Israel and the U.S. bombed its nuclear installations in mid-June, aiming to agree to defer the snapback mechanism. However, the E3 determined that talks in Geneva on Tuesday did not yield sufficiently tangible commitments from Iran.
The E3 acted on Thursday over accusations that Iran has violated the 2015 deal that aimed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapons capability in return for a lifting of international sanctions. The E3, along with Russia, China, and the United States, were party to that accord.
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from that accord in 2018 during his first term, calling the deal one-sided in Iran’s favor. His second administration engaged in fruitless indirect negotiations earlier this year with Tehran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the E3 move, stating the Europeans had made a clear case of Tehran’s “significant non-performance” on its nuclear commitments.
Rubio said the United States remained available for direct engagement with Iran “in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.”
An Iranian source mentioned Tehran would engage only “if Washington guarantees there will be no (military) strikes during the talks.”
The E3 expressed hope that Iran would engage by the end of September to provide commitments over its nuclear program sufficient for them to defer concrete action.
“The E3 are committed to using every diplomatic tool available to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. That includes our decision to trigger the ‘snapback’ mechanism today through this notification,” they said in a letter sent to the U.N. Security Council and seen by Reuters.
“The E3’s commitment to a diplomatic solution nonetheless remains steadfast. The E3 will fully make use of the 30-day period following the notification to resolve the issue giving rise to the notification.”
Iran has previously warned of a “harsh response” if sanctions are reinstated, and the Iranian official mentioned it was reviewing its options, including withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The E3 had offered to extend the snapback for as much as six months to enable serious negotiations if Iran resumes full U.N. inspections—which would also seek to account for Iran’s large stock of enriched uranium that has not been verified since the June strikes—and engages in talks with the United States.
Growing frustration in Iran
The U.N. process takes 30 days before sanctions that would impact Iran’s financial, banking, hydrocarbons, and defense sectors are restored.
Growing fears of renewed United Nations sanctions are stirring frustration in Iran, where economic anxiety is rising and political divisions are deepening, three insiders close to the government said.
As the prospect of tighter international restrictions threatens to further isolate the Islamic Republic, officials in Tehran remain split—with anti-Western hardliners urging defiance and confrontation, while moderates advocate diplomacy.
Iran’s rial has weakened sharply since Wednesday following a Reuters report about the E3 moving to trigger the return of United Nations sanctions.
Iran has been enriching uranium to up to 60% fissile purity, a short step from the roughly 90% of bomb-grade, and had enough material enriched to that level, if refined further, for six nuclear weapons before the airstrikes by Israel started on June 13, according to the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Actually manufacturing a weapon would take more time, however, and the IAEA has said that while it cannot guarantee Tehran’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful, it has no credible indication of a coordinated weapons project.
The West claims the advancement of Iran’s nuclear program goes beyond civilian needs, while Tehran states it wants nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes.
