Europe’s powerhouse trio, the U.K., France and Germany (E3), initiated the process to reimpose sweeping sanctions against Iran over its "significant non-compliance" with international nuclear agreements. The three nations submitted a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council, Panama's Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, notifying him of their intent to trigger the snapback sanctions mechanism enshrined under the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "We the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, share the fundamental objective that Iran shall never seek, acquire or develop a nuclear weapon. We will continue to strive to diplomatically resolve the issue of Iran's significant non-performance,” they stated. The letter concluded by noting that sanctions "will be restored" unless the U.N. Security Council unanimously decides otherwise.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi responded to the move as "unjustified and illegal" in a post on Telegram. Secretary of State Marco Rubio championed the move as "welcome" and said, "Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it." “I urge Iranian leaders to take the immediate steps necessary to ensure that their nation will never obtain a nuclear weapon; to walk the path of peace; and to, by extension, advance prosperity for the Iranian people," he added.
The action comes after months of warnings from European leaders, and years of calls from the U.S. dating back to the first Trump administration in 2018, flagging that Tehran was in violation of nuclear agreements made under the JCPOA – though Iran's record of non-compliance did not initiate until 2019, per findings by international nuclear watchdogs. According to a U.K. official, the decision to enforce snapback sanctions, which is expected to have severe consequences for Iran's already flagging economy, was not a decision that was made "lightly."
The official confirmed that there has been "very intense diplomacy" over the last "12-months, 6-months, 6-weeks" that ultimately led to this decision – including three major factors like Tehran's uranium stockpile levels, its operating of advanced centrifuges and its refusal to adhere to international inspection regulations – all of which are dictated under the JCPOA. The official confirmed that in May Iran was found to have roughly 20,000 pounds of enriched uranium, including 900 pounds of near-weapons grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) – which is 45 times higher than the JCPOA limit of under 660 pounds of enriched uranium. "Iran is the only non-nuclear weapons state producing highly enriched uranium," the official said, adding that those stockpiles remain unaccounted for.
But in speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C., the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said there is "still time" for Iran to prevent the sanctions from taking hold. "Iran will have to comply," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. "I think there is a possibility. I'm not naively optimistic, but at the same time, there is no reason why we should not [have] a good outcome."
The E3 and the U.S. have made clear there are specific steps that Tehran needs to take to avoid snapback sanctions, including giving the IAEA full access to all Iranian nuclear sites, direct negotiations with Washington, and accounting for roughly 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium (HEU). But Grossi also noted that it would be "almost impossible" for Iran to get to a point of compliance with the JCPOA due to too many technical advances.
Biblical Connections: As Iran gets increasingly desperate, could this lead them to ally with other nations to launch an attack on Israel like what is described in Ezekiel 38-39?
PRAY: Pray that the United States and Europe will continue to push Iran towards peace and that Iran will stop their mad desire for a nuclear weapon.