UNITED NATIONS. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom announced Thursday that they have triggered the United Nations’ “snapback” mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Iran, citing Tehran’s failure to cooperate with international inspectors and escalating concerns over its nuclear program following a 12-day war with Israel.
The snapback process, created under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, is designed to be veto-proof and could take effect within a month. The sanctions would freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms transactions, and penalize any development of its ballistic missile program, further tightening pressure on the country’s already fragile economy.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on social media that the measure was not the end of diplomacy but a way to encourage negotiations. “We are determined to make the most of the 30-day period that is now opening to engage in dialogue with Iran,” he wrote.
Iran quickly rejected the move. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it “unjustified” and “lacking any legal basis,” warning that Tehran would respond appropriately. The Iranian Foreign Ministry later added that the decision would “gravely undermine” cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The European countries had warned earlier this month that Iran risked triggering the snapback after halting IAEA inspections following Israeli strikes in June. The war damaged Iranian nuclear facilities and killed senior military leaders, forcing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei into hiding.
The three nations formalized their decision with a letter to the U.N. Security Council, while France and the UK requested closed consultations on Iran’s noncompliance. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the move, saying America “remains available for direct engagement with Iran,” and stressed that the snapback “enhances diplomacy.”
Analysts warn that the move could sharply escalate tensions between Iran and the West, already heightened by the war in Gaza and Israeli strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Soufan Center, a U.S.-based think tank, noted that Iranian leaders view snapback sanctions as an effort to destabilize the regime by crippling the economy.
On Thursday, Iran’s rial fell to more than 1 million to $1, a dramatic collapse from 32,000 to $1 when the 2015 accord was signed. Ordinary Iranians expressed deep anxiety over the situation, with one Tehran resident telling the Associated Press that “many of us feel a deep sense of uncertainty and desperation.”
Before the June war, Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, just short of weapons-grade levels. Western officials fear Iran may have moved sensitive nuclear material to undisclosed locations, raising new challenges for IAEA monitoring.
The snapback mechanism is set to expire on October 18. After that, any sanctions measure would require Security Council approval and face likely vetoes from Russia and China, both of which have offered Tehran some support. Moscow and Beijing introduced a draft resolution Thursday to extend U.N. sanctions relief by six months, as Russia prepares to assume the presidency of the Security Council in October.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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