Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European diplomats revealed that the UK, France, and Germany will start reimposing U.N. sanctions on Iran at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Reuters reported.
The E3 trio met on Tuesday to attempt to restart diplomatic efforts regarding the nuclear programme before their mid-October deadline to restore sanctions on Tehran, which were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.
Why did the E3 decide to trigger snapback sanctions?
Reuters reported that Diplomats stated that Tuesday’s discussions did not produce enough concrete commitments from Iran, but they saw potential for continued diplomacy in the upcoming weeks.
The talks did not produce enough concrete commitments from Tehran. As a result, the E3 has now chosen to activate the snapback of U.N. sanctions, citing allegations that Iran violated the 2015 deal designed to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, according to diplomats.
Could snapback sanctions be delayed to allow diplomacy?
The E3 nations also proposed delaying the snapback for up to six months to facilitate serious negotiations once Iran resumes full U.N. inspections. This delay would also aim to address Iran’s substantial stock of enriched uranium, which has not been verified since the strikes in June, and involves discussions with the US.
When and why did Iran cut cooperation with the IAEA?
Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA in June 2025. It came after US forces attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in a 12-day military tension between Iran and Israel. The Iranian Parliament passed a law on June 25, 2025, that suspended all cooperation with the IAEA, and President Masoud Pezeshkian signed it into law on July 2.
How has Iran threatened to respond to renewed sanctions?
Tehran has warned all along that it would retaliate aggressively if sanctions were to be reimposed. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said Wednesday night that if snapback is imposed, cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency would cease completely.
“We have told the E3 that if this happens, Europe will, in effect, remove itself from the diplomatic arena and dialogue with Iran,”
He stated, adding that Terhna would then only hold meetings within a U.N. Security Council framework.
What level of uranium enrichment has Iran reached?
According to the IAEA, Iran has been enriching uranium to as much as 60% fissile purity, just a short step from the approximately 90% needed for weapons-grade material. They had enough enriched uranium at this level, if further refined, for six nuclear weapons before Israel initiated strikes on June 13.
