The United Kingdom, France and Germany took the first step on Thursday in snapping back severe sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, signaling the death knell for the Obama-era nuclear deal, called the JCPOA.
The move by the European countries, known as the E3, begins a 30-day countdown in the United Nations Security Council for members to pass a resolution granting Iran sanctions relief, or trigger the “snapback” of harsh sanctions imposed by the council.
Iran stopped complying with the JCPOA in 2019, a year after President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal, building up its nuclear program far beyond the confines of the deal. This includes enriching uranium up to 60 percent, well above the limit of 3.67 percent. Iran also built up its nuclear technology, capacity and research, and blocked certain inspection and monitoring as required by the deal.
Trump initially sought to restart negotiations with Iran in his second term over its nuclear program, but then approved a massive military strike on June 22 against three of Iran’s nuclear facilities: Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
The attack came on top of a major Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic, which lasted 12 days.
The attacks against three nuclear facilities were assessed to have inflicted severe damage on Iran’s nuclear program, but did not eliminate it completely.
Since then, the E3 said exhaustive diplomatic efforts with Iran failed – with Tehran rebuffing their request to engage in negotiations or give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) full access to monitor its activities.
“Today, Iran’s non-compliance with the JCPOA is clear and deliberate,” the E3 wrote in a joint statement Thursday.
“As a result of Iran’s actions… 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, thereby engaging the ‘snapback’ mechanism.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said snapback sanctions “are a direct response to Iran’s continuing defiance of its nuclear commitments. The United States supports the E3’s decision and urges Iran to engage in serious diplomatic negotiations to resolve the nuclear issue.”
The timing of the snapback is important; allowing the JCPOA to expire on Oct. 18 would eliminate sanctions on Iran in the U.N. Security Council. Any effort to reimpose sanctions on Iran could face a veto from China or Russia. Europe initiated the snapback while the UNSC is headed by Panama and will be taken over by South Korea in September. Russia is set to take over the rotating presidency in October.
The Associated Press reported that while Russia as UNSC president could not block reimposition of sanctions, diplomats feared that Moscow would use delay tactics until Oct. 18.
The UNSC sanctions on Iran are wide-ranging, including a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes, travel bans and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology, according to the AP.
Iran has warned of severe consequences if European powers follow through on reimposing sanctions, but did not name its actions.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, speaking with reporters in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, said that while inspectors have returned to the country, the organization is still working with Iran to gain access to all of the country’s nuclear facilities, including those damaged in the June strike.
Grossi said there is no evidence that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium has been moved from Iran’s Isfahan site, which inspectors were set to visit on June 13, before being evacuated from the country at the start of Israel’s attacks against Iran.
Iran handing over that stockpile is a key demand of the U.S. and others as part of negotiations.
Grossi said that while Iran has granted resumed access to the IAEA, their work is “not yet where I would like us to be, I will not hide this,” adding there is still time for diplomacy to get to a better place with Tehran.
“At the same time, as a diplomat…I want to open doors. I want to continue the discussion until we get to a better place,” he continued. “If that is impossible, I will not hesitate, as I did in the past. I will not hesitate to report about it… but we are not in that in that situation, at least yet.”
