Britain, France and Germany have formally notified the UN Security Council that they are activating the Iran “snapback” mechanism, opening a 30-day window that can restore wide-ranging UN sanctions suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a joint statement, the three foreign ministers said their “fundamental objective” is that “Iran shall never seek, acquire or develop a nuclear weapon,” and pledged to keep pursuing a diplomatic fix during the 30-day period.
They argued Iran’s breaches are “clear and deliberate,” citing enrichment far above the deal’s limits and curtailed access for inspectors.
“Iran has no civilian justification for its high-enriched uranium stockpile — now over nine ‘Significant Quantities’,” the statement said.
The accompanying letter to the Council adds that, as of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s May 31 report, “the IAEA is not able to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.”
Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, once the snapback is triggered, the Council has 30 days to pass a resolution to continue sanctions relief; if it fails, the pre-JCPOA measures return.
The E3 letter specifies that would reactivate the earlier Iran resolutions — including those imposing arms, missile and financial restrictions and obliging states to inspect Iranian-linked cargo — in the same manner as before.
The ministers said the move “is not new” policy but a reversion to previously agreed measures if no diplomatic progress is made in time.
Washington welcomed the step and said it remains available for direct engagement with Tehran. Iran condemned the move as “illegal,” warned it would undermine cooperation with the IAEA, and said it would respond appropriately.
In the Security Council, Russia and China signalled opposition to snapback and floated a draft that would extend the current framework for several months, but they cannot veto the automatic reimposition mechanism. Reinstated UN measures would tighten compliance for owners, charterers, insurers and ports touching Iranian oil, petrochemicals and dual-use goods, reviving requirements for states to interdict and inspect suspect cargoes and to prevent services that facilitate restricted shipments.
Shipping lawyers and brokers say lawful Iran-related volumes are already slim, but a UN snapback materially raises sanctions-breach and insurance-cover risks across the “shadow fleet” and for counterparties exposed to reflagged or obfuscated trades; market commentary framed it as higher compliance costs, cautious capacity and wider risk premia.
Independent trackers and official studies are cited as showing Iran’s crude exports hovering in the 1.5–1.8 million b/d range in recent months, with spikes above 2 million b/d in some weeks, concentrated toward China; a U.S. Energy Information Administration brief is cited at roughly 1.5 million b/d on average for 2024, while tanker analytics this summer pointed to weekly loadings as high as ~2.2 million b/d and a build-up of floating storage.
Security Council members are set to meet behind closed doors to discuss the notification. The E3 say they will use the 30-day window to test whether Tehran will restore fuller IAEA access and engage in serious talks; if not, the Council’s older Iran resolutions reactivate by default soon after the 30-day mark. Iran has threatened “severe” responses if sanctions are restored, up to and including reassessing its treaty commitments, while European capitals say the door to a negotiated outcome remains open.