France, Germany and the UK have warned they are prepared to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran unless it returns to negotiations over its nuclear program, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council, the three foreign ministers said, according to the report, “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 warning comes two months after US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The E3 said their offer of a deadline extension “remained unanswered by Iran” following talks in Turkey last month.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the threat, saying the European powers had no “legal or moral grounds” to act and warning that “if they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them.”
Britain, France, and Germany had previously informed the UN Security Council that they stand ready to trigger the “snapback” mechanism.
The sanctions, imposed over Iran’s nuclear activities, are set to expire on October 18 unless one of the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – excluding the US – activates the mechanism.
Araghchi in May issued a stark warning to the European powers, cautioning that any move to trigger UN sanctions on Tehran could lead to a serious and potentially irreversible escalation in tensions, Reuters reported.
Last month, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi threatened that the Islamic Republic would leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if UN sanctions are “snapped back”.