The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are preparing to reinstate sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement, a strategic move they hope will compel Iran to return to nuclear negotiations with the United States and the Trump administration.
The official letter from the E3 invoking the U.N. snapback sanctions mechanism against #Iran's regime. Years in the making. It's a declaration of failure of the EU and UK's Iran policy. https://t.co/zpLEUVClqq pic.twitter.com/9zHWknn6tT
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) August 28, 2025
The European powers justified their decision by citing multiple violations of the 2015 deal. Although the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018, the three European nations, along with Russia, China, and Iran, remained signatories.
Thursday’s announcement initiated a 30-day window during which Iran needs to take swift diplomatic action; failure to do so would trigger a return of United Nations-backed sanctions targeting Iran’s economy, banking sector, weapons programs, and trade, measures that had devastated the country prior to 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal. Such sanctions would effectively kill the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran's foreign ministry responded to the move, calling it "unlawful" and saying that the “escalation will be met with appropriate responses,” although they did not elaborate further. Their deputy foreign minister and nuclear negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, said that the sanctions would would halt Iran's cooperation with the U.N.'s atomic agency, which allows international bodies to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities.
One year after the United States' withdrawl from the agreement in 2018, Iran began to revamp its nuclear program, vioalting almost all of the nuclear restrictions placed on them, emassing enough enriched uranium for 10 nuclear bombs.
“The international community continues to face serious concerns over the absence of credible guarantees that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” the European nations stated in a letter initiating the sanction process on Thursday. They noted that Iran had demonstrated “significant non-performance of its commitments” under the 2015 agreement "therefore call[ing] on Iran to pursue constructive diplomacy to address the concerns surrounding its nuclear program."
The descicion recieved support from Secratary of State Marco Rubio, who said that the U.S. “remains available for direct engagement with Iran—in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.”
The E3 – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom – initiated a process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran. 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…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 28, 2025
This comes only a few months after Israel and the United States carried out military operations in Iran, resulting in a 12-day war, and the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities. While Iran recently permitted a limited number of inspectors from the United Nations’ atomic agency to examine their facilities International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi stated on Wednesday that Iran had not agreed to allow inspections at the critical Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, facilities that were destroyed by U.S. and Israeli strikes in June.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT for 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member