The UK, France, and Germany are expected to initiate the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran on Thursday, according to a Reuters report, a step that could lead to another US-Israeli war against Iran.
The European countries, known as the E3, are looking to trigger the “snapback” mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, to reimpose UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted when the agreement was signed. They’re eager to start the process since the ability to “snapback” expires on October 18.
Iran has argued that the E3 countries don’t have the right to trigger the sanctions since it was the US that withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. Iranian officials met with officials from the three European nations on Tuesday, but no progress was made, and the E3 had set a deadline at the end of August to trigger the sanctions.
The Reuters report said that the E3 countries are planning to give Iran 30 days to defer the sanctions by making new commitments related to its nuclear program. The report said they want Iran to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to have access to nuclear sites and for Tehran to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington.
Regarding the IAEA, Iran has allowed its inspectors to return to the country after expelling them in the wake of the 12-day US-Israeli war on Iran, but has said it does not mark the resumption of full cooperation. Iran expelled the IAEA over the watchdog’s role in providing a pretext for the initial Israeli attack and for its failure to condemn the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
When it comes to talks with the US, Iranian officials have said they’re open to it, but they want assurances that they won’t be attacked again. The US and Israel used previous negotiations as a cover to launch the war, and since the ceasefire, President Trump and Israeli officials have been threatening to attack Iran again.
Iranian officials have warned that there would be consequences if the snapback sanctions are reimposed, and some have suggested that one possibility would be withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The US and Israel could potentially use an Iranian withdrawal from the NPT as a pretext for another war, even though Israel is not a signatory to the treaty. Unlike Iran, Israel actually has a secret nuclear weapons program and a stockpile of nuclear weapons that’s not officially acknowledged by the US and Israel.
