Europe Triggers UN ‘Snapback’ Sanctions on Iran
France, Germany, and the UK move to restore Security Council penalties after nuclear talks collapse
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European powers announced Thursday that they will activate the “snapback” mechanism restoring United Nations sanctions on Iran, after weeks of fruitless diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, together with the EU, informed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the deadline for Iranian compliance had passed. The move automatically reimposes sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for relief.
The snapback decision is designed to intensify economic pressure on Iran and bring it back to the negotiating table. The European trio had given Tehran until the end of August to provide access to UN inspectors, address uranium enrichment levels of up to 60%, and reopen serious talks with Washington.
A senior diplomat involved in this week’s Geneva meetings said Iran “put nothing concrete on the table” and rejected any extension of the deadline, effectively paving the way for sanctions to return.
Iran has warned repeatedly that triggering snapback sanctions could prompt it to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV that Tehran’s response may include suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA’s director-general Rafael Grossi confirmed inspectors had only recently resumed partial access to some Iranian sites, but that broader monitoring remains restricte.
The snapback process takes 30 days to complete, and European leaders are determined to finalize it before Russia assumes the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in October.