E3 triggers UN sanctions snapback on Iran, 30-day countdown begins

France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday formally triggered a 30 day process to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran, opening a diplomatic countdown that could restore pre-2015 penalties over Tehran's disputed nuclear program if no agreement is reached. The three European powers, known as the E3, said they moved after recent talks failed to secure sufficient Iranian commitments on inspections and transparency.

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, the E3 ministers accused Iran of deliberately abandoning key Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action obligations and building a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that they said lacked credible civilian justification. The notification activates a so-called snapback mechanism written into the 2015 deal that can automatically restore U.N. measures, including an arms embargo, asset freezes and limits on ballistic missile activity, unless the council adopts a resolution to prevent their return within the 30 day window.

European officials framed the move as both pressure and an incentive for diplomacy. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X that the measure "does not signal the end of diplomacy" and that the 30...