France, Germany, and the UK have told the UN that they’re ready to impose “snapback” sanctions on Iran over the lack of diplomatic progress regarding Iran’s nuclear program in the wake of the 12-day US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
“We have made it 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 three European nations said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, signatories can re-impose so-called snapback sanctions that were lifted by the UN Security Council when the deal was signed. Iran argues that the signatories don’t have the right to re-impose the sanctions since the US was the party that violated the agreement and withdrew from it in 2018.
According to Reuters, France, Germany, and the UK had offered Iran an extension in the deadline if it agreed to hold direct negotiations with the US, but Tehran hasn’t replied. However, Iranian officials have been clear that they need assurances from the US that they wouldn’t be attacked during future negotiations, and President Trump has been threatening to bomb the country again if it resumes its nuclear enrichment program.
The US and Israel used the cover of US-Iran nuclear talks to launch the 12-Day War, which began with heavy Israeli airstrikes on June 13, two days before Washington and Tehran were set to hold their next round of negotiations. Israel launched the war under the pretext of preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, but US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) both said they had no evidence that Tehran was seeking a bomb.
In response to the war and what Iran saw as the IAEA’s role in starting it, Tehran has suspended cooperation with the nuclear watchdog, though it is still engaged in talks with the IAEA. The day before Israel launched the war, the IAEA’s Board of Governors passed a resolution claiming Iran was no longer living up to its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a claim made mainly based on nuclear activity that allegedly took place decades ago.
Iranian officials have warned that if snapback sanctions are re-imposed, Tehran may withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a step that could be used by Israel and the US as a pretext to launch another war.
Amid the focus on its civilian nuclear program, Iranian officials have frequently pointed to the fact that Israel has a secret nuclear weapons program and a stockpile of nuclear warheads and is not a signatory to the NPT. Israel’s nuclear weapons are rarely discussed since they are not officially recognized by the US or Israel.
