E3 to trigger JCPOA snapback by August if Iran fails to engage

The three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran said they are prepared to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Tehran at the end of August if diplomacy does not resume and advance toward a resolution. In a letter to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council, France, Germany and the United Kingdom stated they are ready to use the snapback mechanism attached to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) unless Tehran agrees to diplomatic talks and an extension of the negotiating window. The ministers asserted they have “unambiguous legal grounds” to trigger the mechanism that would restore UNSC sanctions that had been eased under the agreement.

The E3 letter comes amid renewed tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and its suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). European diplomats said the talks with Tehran in Istanbul last month were the first in person since an escalation in June, when Israel conducted a multi-day strike against Iranian targets and Iran halted cooperation with the IAEA. The looming deadline for a diplomatic solution sits against a backdrop of concerns in Tehran about maintaining civilian nuclear...