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“Snapback” sanctions will be triggered by the end of August if Tehran fails to make concrete progress to limit its nuclear program.
July 16, 2025, 8:01 a.m. ET
Britain, France and Germany have agreed to restore punishing U.N. sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there is no concrete progress on a deal to limit its nuclear activities, according to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot of France.
The announcement was part of an effort to push Tehran into renewed negotiations on restricting its nuclear program. Mr. Barrot said France and its partners that remain in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal were “justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago” under the deal, which expires in mid-October.
“Without a firm, tangible and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest,” Mr. Barrot said on Tuesday in Brussels.
After Israel and the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites last month, Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors left. They try to monitor Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, some of which is near-bomb-grade and could eventually produce up to 10 nuclear weapons, the agency has said.
Iran must allow inspections under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, but the inspectors also monitored its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, and its violations of that agreement.
The Europeans are hoping that the prospect of restored multilateral sanctions will persuade Iran to restore its cooperation with the agency and also renew serious negotiations on restricting or eliminating its ability to enrich uranium. So far, there has been no progress since the bombings to renew talks between Iran and the United States on a new nuclear deal.
