Europeans tell UN they are ready to ‘snap back’ Iran sanctions if needed

UNITED NATIONS - Britain, France and Germany have told the UN Security Council that they are ready – if necessary – to trigger a so-called “snapback” of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

They will lose the ability to take such action on Oct 18, 2025, when a 2015 UN resolution expires. The resolution enshrines Iran’s deal with Britain, Germany, France, the US, Russia and China that lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme.

The snapback of international sanctions on Iran would require Tehran to suspend all nuclear enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and ban imports of anything that could contribute to those activities or developing nuclear arms delivery systems.

It would also reimpose a conventional arms embargo, ban Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons and revive targeted sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities. Countries would also be urged to inspect shipments to and from Iran, and be authorised to seize any banned cargo.

Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the roughly 90 per cent level that is weapons grade, the UN nuclear watchdog chief said last week.

The move comes as Iran has suffered a series of strategic setbacks, including Israel’s assault on its proxy militias Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the ouster of ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Western states say there is no need to enrich uranium to such a high level under any civilian programme and that no other country has done so without producing nuclear bombs. Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons.

“Iran must de-escalate its nuclear programme to create the political environment conducive to meaningful progress and a negotiated solution,” the UN ambassadors of Britain, Germany and France wrote in a letter to the UN Security Council on Dec 6.

“We reiterate our determination to use all diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, including using snapback, if necessary,” they said.

The communication was in response to letters earlier last week from Russia and Iran, which followed an initial note to the council by Britain, Germany and France on Nov 27. Russia and Iran also then followed up with further letters this week.

The tit-for-tat letters came as European and Iranian diplomats met in late November to discuss whether they can work to defuse regional tensions, including over Tehran’s nuclear programme, before Donald Trump’s return to the White House. During his first term as US president, Trump quit the nuclear deal in 2018.

‘Embrace diplomacy’

In a letter to the council on Dec 9, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the Europeans to “abandon their ineffective and failed policy of pressure and confrontation”, saying they “should embrace diplomacy and focus on rebuilding the trust essential to resolving the current impasse”.

The European parties to the Iran nuclear deal have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, notably since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia – in a letter on Dec 10 – said Britain, Germany and France had no right to invoke the snapback of sanctions and that it was irresponsible of them to suggest the possibility of using the snapback mechanism.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres submitted his biannual report to the Security Council on the implementation of the 2015 resolution on Dec 10, warning there was a “critical need for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue”, given the deteriorating situation across the Middle East. REUTERS