UK, France, Germany Threaten Iran Snapback Sanctions If No Progress Made This Month
The U.K., France and Germany will support snapback sanctions against Iran if the country doesn’t agree to safeguards around its nuclear program by the end of this month, the three European nations said last week.
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In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, the three countries, which call themselves the E3, said Iran has “willfully and publicly departed” from its commitments under the nuclear deal, otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, since 2019. “Iran's non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA is as blatant as it is concerning,” said the letter, which lists several ways in which Iran has violated the deal.
“This all constitutes a clear legal basis for the E3 should we decide to notify the UNSC that Iran is in significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA and therefore to trigger the snapback mechanism,” it said. “We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism.”
The countries noted that they so far haven’t reimposed the sanctions on Iran despite Tehran’s “systematic non-compliance,” and they even “made extensive efforts” to help Iran carry out certain transactions with other countries through INSTEX, the payment system that was dissolved in 2023 (see 2303130014).
“Since 2019, the E3 have invested considerable energy and time, in good faith, in negotiations to resolve the issues arising from Iran's non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA,” the letter said, adding they will continue to try to reach a solution this month. “We are equally ready, and have unambiguous legal grounds, to notify the significant non-performance of JCPoA commitments by Iran as foreseen under UNSCR 2231 (2015), thereby triggering the snapback mechanism, should no satisfactory solution be reached by the end of August 2025.”
The letter comes several months after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, during his nomination hearing, said he would support the snapback of U.N. sanctions against Iran (see 2503040038).