The so-called E3 group says they are ready to trigger the ‘snapback’ mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom have told the United Nations they are prepared to reinstate sanctions on Iran, according to a joint letter.
The letter, sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council, said the three European powers were “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets a deadline to speak with them.
“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, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” the ministers wrote, the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday.
Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and has denied seeking nuclear weapons.
The warning comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran halted collaboration with the UN nuclear watchdog after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June, targeting senior military leaders, top scientists and nuclear facilities.
Iran had been in talks with the United States at the time over its nuclear programme, before Washington later carried out its own bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear sites during the conflict.
The foreign ministers of the so-called E3 group wrote to the UN on Tuesday, raising the prospect of “snapback” sanctions – a provision in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that eased UN Security Council measures in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.
Under the agreement, which expires in October, any signatory can restore the sanctions if they believe Iran is in breach.
The letter follows what the E3 described as “serious, frank and detailed” discussions with Iran in Istanbul last month, the first in-person talks since Israeli and US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites.
France, Germany and the UK were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) alongside the United States, China, Russia and the European Union. The accord required Iran to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions. The European powers pledged to uphold the agreement but now claim Iran has breached its terms, including building a uranium stockpile more than 40 times the limit set in 2015.
However, no evidence has been found that Iran has enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels of 90 percent after it allowed inspections of its nuclear facilities by the IAEA.
Meanwhile, Iran has agreed to hold talks with the IAEA and is preparing to host a visit by the UN watchdog, its first since Tehran cut ties with the agency last month following the June conflict.
