Over the weekend, the United Nations triggered the “snapback” mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the agreement approached its expiration at the end of October. The mechanism—designed to respond to major breaches of Iran’s nuclear commitments—was invoked with strong backing from the E3 members of the UN: France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Al Jazeera). The snapback reinstates key sanctions, including an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes on designated individuals, and restrictions on banking transactions.
Originally brokered under the Obama administration in 2015, the JCPOA was abandoned by then-President Donald Trump in 2018, though it has continued to serve as a forum for dialogue on nuclear nonproliferation.
Both China and Russia, which have continued assisting Iran in circumventing sanctions through economic cooperation, strongly opposed the UN’s decision. They argue the move lacks legal foundation, claiming the JCPOA has effectively become void since the United States and Israel began launching strikes against Iranian infrastructure earlier this summer—attacks that caused billions of dollars in damage and left more than 1,000 dead (Al Jazeera). Meanwhile, inflation in Iran has soared above 40%, and the rial has plummeted to roughly 1.13 million per U.S. dollar, deepening economic strain for the country’s 90 million citizens, who now face an escalating cost-of-living crisis (AP News).
In the wake of the snapback sanctions, Iranian officials have voiced growing concern that Israel may launch further military operations targeting the country’s infrastructure. These fears—combined with anger over earlier strikes—have fueled accusations from both Iranian and Western analysts that the United States is outsourcing its regional policy to Israel in order to bolster its ally’s political and military dominance. Ali Akbar Daveini of the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran stated that the United States “has begun delegating its foreign policy to Israel” (Al Jazeera).
Tehran has also warned of a potential response to the reimposition of sanctions. While the E3 governments and the United States maintain that these measures do not signal the end of diplomatic engagement, Iran has recalled its ambassadors from the E3 countries for consultations and reaffirmed its intention to remain within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Although Iran had suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran, the IAEA confirmed on Friday that inspections have now resumed (Reuters).