European Countries Move to Restore UN Sanctions on Iran

September 2025
By Kelsey Davenport

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom notified the UN Security Council of their intention to restore sanctions on Iran that were modified as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. The move came after the three countries and Iran failed to reach an agreement on extending the mechanism for restoring the sanctions, which is set to expire in October, in exchange for Iran taking steps to increase transparency over its nuclear program.

In an Aug. 28 statement, the Europeans said that Iran’s violations of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, are “clear and deliberate” and they raised concerns about “sites of major proliferation concern” in Iran that are no longer being monitored. According to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal and laid out the mechanism for restoring the UN sanctions on Iran using a process that cannot be blocked, the UN sanctions will be reimposed after 30 days if the Security Council does not pass a new resolution continuing sanctions relief.

The Europeans, however, said they will “use the 30-day period to continue to engage with Iran” on an agreement to extend the snapback deadline, which is set to expire in October.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the move to restore the UN sanctions was “unjustified” and that Iran will respond appropriately to “protect its interests.”

European and Iranian diplomats met Aug. 25 in Geneva but the session ended without an agreement on the steps Iran could take in exchange for the Europeans extending the snapback mechanism.

According to the Aug. 28 statement, the Europeans are willing to extend the snapback mechanism if Iran takes steps to resume negotiations, comply with its safeguards obligations, and “address our concerns regarding the highly enriched uranium stockpile.”

Iran announced that it would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resume inspections at certain nuclear facilities, but that did not appear to be enough to persuade the Europeans, known as the E3, who also want to see talks resume between the United States and Iran.

Iran is legally required to implement a safeguards agreement. but following the illegal Israeli and U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities in June, Tehran prohibited cooperation with the IAEA. Iran only announced on Aug. 26 that agency inspectors were back in Iran and had been permitted to access Bushehr, the country’s operating nuclear power plant. It is unclear if or when Iran will allow inspectors to return to other facilities, including those damaged by the Israeli and U.S. attacks.

Araghchi suggested on Aug. 28 that a sanctions snapback could reverse progress on cooperation with the agency.

Ahead of the European-Iranian meeting in Geneva, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the nuclear issue is “unsolvable” and suggested that Iran is not ready to conduct direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program. Iran will not be “obedient” to the United States, he said in an Aug. 24 speech.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the European decision to trigger snapback and said that Washington “remains available for direct engagement” with Tehran. Snapback “enhances” U.S. readiness for diplomacy, he said.

The European move does not come as a surprise. The Europeans have said for weeks that they would reimpose sanctions lifted by the Security Council resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal if there is no progress in resuming negotiations and IAEA inspections by the end of August.

In addition to Iran allowing the IAEA back into its nuclear sites and restarting talks, the Europeans appear to be looking for Iran to take steps to account for its stockpile of 60-percent enriched uranium-235.

The stockpile of 60-percent U-235 is particularly concerning because it can be quickly enriched further to weapons-grade levels. Iran said it moved the stockpile after initial Israeli military strikes June 13; U.S. officials have said it is unclear where all of that material is currently located.

Iran has threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the UN sanctions are reimposed. Manouchehr Mottaki, a member of Iran’s parliament, said that body has a “finger on the trigger” and needs “only 24 hours” to approve steps to withdraw from the treaty. Iran has the legal right to withdraw from the NPT. To do so, Tehran would need to send a letter to the Security Council outlining the “extraordinary events” that have “jeopardized the supreme interests of its country.” Withdrawal is completed three months after that step.

If snapback were extended, it could buy time for Iran and the United States to return to negotiations. It is not clear, however, that a short extension would be sufficient.

Araghchi told Iranian state-run media Aug. 20 that the time for “effective negotiations” with the United States has not yet arrived. Statements by Iranian and U.S. officials suggest that the two sides have hardened their positions on enrichment since the June strikes by Israel and the United States, with Iran demanding that any deal recognize the country’s enrichment program and the United States saying that Iran must give up enrichment. (See ACT, June 2025.)

Iran does not appear to be enriching uranium currently due to the damage to its enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow, but it has the capacity and the materials necessary to resume enrichment.

Furthermore, uncertainties over the status and location of Iran’s nuclear materials will likely create new challenges in verifying any future deal, particularly if Iran continues to refuse to allow the IAEA access to its nuclear sites.

Russia and China have expressed opposition to snapping back sanctions on Iran.

Russia drafted a resolution calling for an extension to the snapback mechanism at the Security Council. The draft, dated Aug. 25, recognized the “necessity of allowing additional time for negotiations” and called for a six-month extension to the snapback mechanism. The draft urges all participants who negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump abandoned in 2018, to “immediately resume negotiations.”

The draft makes no reference to Iran’s implementing safeguards.