Saturday , July 19 2025

France, UK, Germany to re-impose Iran sanctions in August

17-07-2025

LONDON/ BERLIN/ PARIS: France, the United Kingdom and Germany will reinstate harsh sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no progress is made on a nuclear deal, Western diplomats and officials say.

The economic penalties on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 agreement in return for allowing restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program would return by the end of next month “at the latest” if there is no breakthrough, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday.

The deadline was announced as pressure mounts on diplomats to find a new solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Tehran has reiterated are civilian in nature, in the wake of massive Israeli and United States strikes on the country last month.

“France and its partners are … justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago,” Barrot told reporters before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

Under a so-called snapback provision in the 2015 deal, United Nations sanctions are able to be re-imposed on Iran if Tehran does not comply with its requirements.

The British, French and German ambassadors to the UN met on Tuesday to discuss re-imposing the sanctions, media reported.

The issue was also discussed in a phone call on Monday between the foreign ministers of the three countries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, told the agency.

The deadline was announced as pressure mounts on diplomats to find a new solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Tehran has reiterated are civilian in nature, in the wake of massive Israeli and United States strikes on the country last month.

“France and its partners are … justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago,” Barrot told reporters before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

“Without a firm, tangible and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.”

Under a so-called snapback provision in the 2015 deal, United Nations sanctions are able to be re-imposed on Iran if Tehran does not comply with its requirements.

The British, French and German ambassadors to the UN met on Tuesday to discuss re-imposing the sanctions, media reported.

The issue was also discussed in a phone call on Monday between the foreign ministers of the three countries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, told media.

Iran’s UN mission made no comment in response to the threat of returned sanctions, media reported but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that the return of UN sanctions by the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal would “end” Europe’s role in the Iranian nuclear issue and as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

The US and Iran were engaged in extended negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program before the Israeli strikes began in June and were joined in their latter stages with strikes by Washington. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 during his first term in office, declaring it too weak on Iran. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)

Check Also

British spies and SAS named in Afghan data breach

19-07-2025 LONDON/ KABUL: The identities of more than 100 British officials, including members of the …