Britain, France, and Germany have initiated a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. This decision, announced in a letter to the UN Security Council, is likely to escalate tensions just two months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran.
The trio, known as the E3, stated they decided to trigger the “snapback mechanism” before they lose the ability to restore sanctions on Tehran in mid-October. These sanctions were originally lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
Since the mid-June strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel and the US, the E3 have held several rounds of talks with Iran, hoping to defer the mechanism. However, they found that a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday failed to produce sufficiently tangible commitments from Iran.
The E3 are moving forward with this action based on accusations that Iran has violated the 2015 deal, which was designed to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. The United States, a party to the original deal, withdrew in 2018 under President Donald Trump and held unsuccessful indirect negotiations with Tehran earlier this year.
The E3, who informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of their decision on Wednesday, hope Iran will make commitments on its nuclear program by the end of September to convince them to postpone the action. In their letter, they stated, “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.”
In response, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the move by Britain, France, and Germany to reimpose all UN sanctions is “illegal and regrettable.” The official added that Tehran is considering its options, including withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Growing Frustration and Political Divisions in Iran
The UN process for restoring sanctions—which would affect Iran’s financial, banking, hydrocarbon, and defense sectors—takes 30 days. According to three insiders close to the government, rising fears of renewed UN sanctions are fueling frustration in Iran, where economic anxiety is increasing and political divisions are deepening.
Iranian officials remain divided, with hardliners advocating for defiance and confrontation, while moderates push for diplomacy. Iran’s rial weakened sharply on Wednesday after a Reuters report on the E3’s decision to trigger the return of UN sanctions.
According to the IAEA, before the June 13 strikes by Israel, Iran had been enriching uranium to up to 60% fissile purity, a short step from the roughly 90% required for weapons. It had enough material at that level to potentially create six nuclear weapons if further refined. However, the IAEA has stated it has no credible indication of a coordinated weapons project. The West argues that the advancement of Iran’s nuclear program goes beyond civilian needs, while Tehran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.
