Three of Europe’s largest powers are reimposing sanctions on Iran in an effort to pressure it to the negotiating table with the United States.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom implemented their long-discussed “sanctions snapback” on Thursday as punishment for the regime’s repeated violations of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
“Today, Iran’s non-compliance with the JCPoA is clear and deliberate, and sites of major proliferation concern in Iran are outside of IAEA monitoring,” the three world leaders wrote in a letter announcing the sanctions. “Iran has no civilian justification for its high enriched uranium stockpile – now over 9 Significant Quantities – which is also unaccounted for by the IAEA. Its nuclear programme therefore remains a clear threat to international peace and security.
“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, thereby engaging the ‘snapback’ mechanism,” they continued.
The decision opens a 30-day period before the sanctions are activated, giving Iranian diplomats a narrow window to appease the Western nations and avoid the crippling restrictions.
The leaders wrote that they will use that time to “continue to engage with Iran on our extension offer, or on any serious diplomatic efforts to restore Iran’s compliance with its commitments.”
The U.S. remains open to the possibility of negotiations with the Iranian government for establishing a new framework for nuclear infrastructure.
However, the White House is demanding that any future negotiations be conducted directly instead of the previous practice of using proxies.
The International Atomic Energy Agency visited Iran on Wednesday, its first visit since the country suspended the agency last month.
Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA following the U.S. military’s bombing of nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
UN WATCHDOG SENDS FIRST TEAM TO IRAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES SINCE SUSPENDING COORDINATION
“There is no exemption or exception when it comes to what we need to inspect,” IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said of the visit.
Just days before resuming their partnership with the IAEA, Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from England, Italy, and Germany about limitations on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.