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The countries participating in the 2015 nuclear deal, Britain, France and Germany, have informed the UN Security Council that they are ready – if necessary – to activate the so-called “snapback” of all international sanctions on Iran, to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
These countries will lose the ability to take such action on (October 18, 2025), when the 2015 UN Security Council resolution that supported the nuclear deal with Iran expires, under which sanctions were lifted in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog told Reuters last week that Iran was “dramatically” accelerating its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level used in nuclear weapons.
The move comes as Iran has suffered a series of strategic setbacks, including Israel’s attacks on Iranian-backed militias such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the ouster of a key Iranian ally, Bashar al-Assad, in Syria.
Western nations say there is no need to enrich uranium to such a high level for any civilian program, and that no other country has done so without producing nuclear bombs.
Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons.
The ambassadors of Britain, Germany and France to the United Nations wrote in a letter to the Security Council on December 6, 2024:
“Iran must de-escalate its nuclear program to create the political environment conducive to meaningful progress and a negotiated solution, and we reaffirm our determination to use all diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including the use of the snapback mechanism if necessary.”
In a letter to the council on Monday, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani urged Europeans to abandon their failed and ineffective policy of pressure and confrontation, and embrace diplomacy and focus on rebuilding the trust necessary to resolve the current impasse.
The European parties to the Iran nuclear deal have taken a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, especially since Iran has stepped up its military support for Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in a letter on Tuesday that Britain, Germany and France have no right to reimpose sanctions and that suggesting the possibility of using the “snapback” mechanism was irresponsible.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented his semi-annual report to the Security Council on the implementation of the 2015 resolution on Tuesday, warning of an “urgent need for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, given the deteriorating situation throughout the Middle East.”
“Snapback” would require Iran to suspend all enrichment and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and ban the import of anything that could contribute to those activities or the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.
It would also reimpose a conventional arms embargo, prohibit Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, and reimpose targeted sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities.
Countries would be urged to inspect cargo to and from Iran and be allowed to seize any prohibited cargo.
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