Iran Sanctions Snapback

UN Nuclear Watchdog Returns to Iran as Sanctions Snapback Looms

The UN nuclear watchdog said Friday that its inspectors had been allowed back into Iranian sites. Still, Western powers said they had not seen enough progress to delay the reimposition of UN sanctions, despite a week of high-level diplomacy at the UN General Assembly.

In response, Iran summoned its ambassadors from Britain, France, and Germany for consultations on Saturday, according to state media. The move came after these three countries triggered a mechanism to reinstate broad UN sanctions on Tehran.

State television reported: “Following the irresponsible action of the three European countries to reinstate repealed UN Security Council resolutions, Iran’s ambassadors to Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have been summoned to Tehran for consultations.”

The European powers had started the countdown a month ago for the “snapback” of sanctions, accusing Iran of failing to fully disclose details of its nuclear program, including measures it took in response to Israeli and US attacks.

The sanctions are set to take effect at 0000 GMT on Sunday (8:00 pm Saturday in New York). They will impose a global ban on dealings with companies, individuals, and organizations accused of supporting Iran’s nuclear or missile programs.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed the idea of a deal, saying Israel and the United States were using sanctions pressure to try to topple the Islamic Republic. “If the goal had been to resolve concerns on the nuclear program, we could easily do that,” he told reporters, reaffirming that Iran has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.

Pezeshkian, who met French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the week, said France had suggested Iran surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for a one-month delay in sanctions. “Why would we put ourselves in such a trap and have a noose around our neck each month?” he asked. He also accused the United States of pushing Europe to block any compromise.

While Steve Witkoff, a US negotiator, insisted that the United States did not want to harm Iran and was open to further talks, Pezeshkian criticized him as unserious, claiming he had reneged on prior agreements when Israel launched its military campaign.

Russia and China Push Back

The new sanctions aim to increase economic pressure on Iran, but it is unclear if all nations will enforce them. Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky called the reimposition “null and void.”

Russia and China attempted on Friday at the UN Security Council to delay the sanctions until April, but failed to gather enough votes. Meanwhile, the US continues to enforce its unilateral sanctions and pressure countries to stop buying Iranian oil, though China has largely resisted.

The sanctions represent a “snapback” of UN measures suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal, which Britain, France, and Germany supported—despite former President Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

The International Crisis Group said Iran appears to be taking the snapback in stride, having already adapted to US sanctions. However, reversing the snapback would be difficult, requiring Security Council consensus.

Israel Urges No Delay

In a defiant address at the UN on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the sanctions snapback to proceed without delay and suggested that Israel remains willing to strike Iran’s nuclear program again. Iranian authorities have blamed Israel’s June military campaign for over 1,000 deaths.

Pezeshkian stressed that Iran would not respond by leaving the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, warning that unnamed powers were seeking “a superficial pretext to set the region ablaze.”