BERLIN
Germany on Friday called on its citizens to leave Iran, less than a day after the UK, France, and Germany triggered “snapback” sanctions against Tehran regarding its nuclear program.
“German citizens are urged to leave Iran. On August 28, Great Britain, France, and Germany decided to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism due to repeated and widespread Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Nuclear Power Agreement (JCPoA),” the Foreign Ministry said on its website.
“Since Iranian government officials have repeatedly threatened consequences in the past, it cannot be ruled out that German interests and citizens will be affected by countermeasures in Iran,” it added.
The German Embassy in Tehran is “currently only able to provide limited consular assistance,” according to the Foreign Ministry.
The E3 group of countries — Great Britain, France, and Germany — on Thursday triggered the mechanism for reinstating UN sanctions in their dispute with Iran over its nuclear program.
“As a result of Iran’s actions, and in accordance with paragraph 11 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), France, Germany and the United Kingdom have today decided to notify the Security Council that we believe Iran is in significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), thereby engaging the ‘snapback’ mechanism,” the three countries said in a joint statement.
“This notification initiates the snapback process defined in Resolution 2231. It opens a 30-day period before the possible reestablishment of previously terminated United Nations Security Council resolutions,” it added.
The Iranian nuclear agreement was intended to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear bomb. The document specifically regulates the independent verification of Iran’s nuclear program and sets limits on the quantity and enrichment of uranium.
Tensions escalated in June when Israel launched a surprise attack on Tehran on June 13, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites, as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. The 12-day conflict ended under a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24.