NEW YORK (Realist English). France, Germany and the UK have formally warned the United Nations that they are ready to trigger the reimposition of sanctions on Iran unless it resumes negotiations over its nuclear programme.
In a letter sent Tuesday to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council, the three foreign ministers — Jean-Noël Barrot of France, Johann Wadephul of Germany and David Lammy of the UK — said they had offered Tehran an extension to avoid automatic sanctions later this month. The move, they warned, was intended to prevent nuclear proliferation and preserve the option for a new agreement.
“We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, the E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” the ministers wrote, according to a copy obtained by the Financial Times.
The warning comes two months after US and Israeli strikes targeted nuclear sites in Iran, further escalating tensions. Under the 2015 nuclear deal — abandoned by the US in 2018 under Donald Trump but still formally in place for other signatories — UN sanctions are due to expire on October 18 unless one of the remaining parties triggers the snapback clause.
Last month in Turkey, the E3 told Iranian negotiators they could extend the end-of-August deadline if Tehran agreed to restart talks with Washington and restore co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before September. According to the ministers, that offer has so far gone unanswered.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed the threat, telling the FT after the Istanbul meeting that the E3 had no “legal or moral grounds” for the move and warning that Tehran would exclude them from future negotiations if sanctions were reimposed. He accused the Europeans of failing to uphold their commitments and argued the snapback mechanism was “not that important anymore.”
“With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything. If they do snapback, that means this is the end of the road for them,” Araghchi said.
The E3 maintain they are “clearly and unambiguously” justified in reimposing sanctions, citing Iran’s “wilful” departure from its obligations since 2019.
Iran has said it remains open to talks with the Trump administration, but its stance hardened after Israel’s assault and shortly before it was due to hold a sixth round of indirect negotiations with the US. Araghchi has demanded security assurances, compensation for war damages, and other confidence-building measures before further engagement.
Tensions deepened in June when Iran suspended co-operation with the IAEA following its 12-day war with Israel. A senior IAEA official met Iranian counterparts in Tehran on Monday, but the UN watchdog has not commented on the outcome.
