France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have started a process to bring back United Nations sanctions on Iran after several failed meetings about its nuclear programme. The three countries of Europe, known as the E3, had been warning Tehran for weeks that sanctions could return by October, when the 2015 nuclear deal expires.
The decision, announced on Thursday, begins a 30-day period before sanctions are officially restored. It follows a warning from Iran’s Foreign Ministry earlier this week that renewing sanctions would have serious consequences.
Europe Says Iran Did Not Follow the Provisions of 2015 Deal
The E3 claims Iran refuses to abide by the rules of the 2015 agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal forced Iran to restrict its nuclear program and in return, global sanctions imposed on it would be cancelled. However, a major point of the deal was the “snapback” process, which gave global powers the authority to re-impose sanctions on Iran if it violated the rules.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, the French, German, and British foreign ministers wrote: “Since 2019, Iran has deliberately and increasingly stopped fulfilling its JCPOA commitments. This includes building up a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which has no credible civilian purpose and is unprecedented for a country without nuclear weapons.” They added that they still hope for a diplomatic solution.
Iran Has Objected to the Decision by European Nations
Iran strongly rejected the move. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the E3’s action “unjustified, illegal, and without legal basis.” He said Iran would respond to defend its rights and interests, but expressed hope that Europe would reconsider its decision.
If the sanctions are fully restored, it would mean a return to the wide-ranging UN measures in place before the 2015 deal. These include a ban on arms sales, restrictions on developing ballistic missiles, and freezing of assets.
Reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo explained that the E3 announcement starts a process, not an immediate change. “Sanctions are not applied right away. There is still a window for negotiations in the coming weeks, which could lead to a quiet diplomatic settlement,” he said.
Senior Iran Minister Says Negotiations Will Continue With European Powers
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that during a meeting in Geneva, Iran told European officials they had no right to activate the sanctions mechanism. However, he added that both sides agreed to continue nuclear talks.
Iran began increasing its nuclear enrichment after former US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear deal in 2018. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its programme is for peaceful purposes.
Indirect talks between Iran and the US had been taking place until June, when Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear, military, and civilian sites. The attacks killed hundreds of people. The US later joined the Israeli strikes, targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, which led Tehran to withdraw from all diplomatic efforts.
Talks restarted in July between Iran and European officials, but no agreement has been reached so far.
Also Read: Iran Faces ‘Snapback’ of UN Sanctions – What It Means and Why It Matters | Explained
