France, Britain and Germany (E3) indicated today (12/12/2024) in a letter to the UN Security Council the possible recourse to the mechanism of the reimposition of sanctions against Iran for the nuclear program.
“The E3 (group) remains committed to a diplomatic solution regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” the three European countries said in the letter, dated December 6, and obtained by AFP.
However, “we reiterate our determination to use all diplomatic tools to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including the use of the ‘snapback’ if necessary,” they added, referring to the mechanism that allows members of the deal on Iran’s nuclear program to restore sanctions against Tehran.
In 2015, Iran had reached an agreement in Vienna with France, Germany, Britain, China, Russia and the United States to oversee this program. The text provided for an easing of international sanctions against Tehran in return.
But in 2018, then-US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the deal – which Tehran had complied with, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency – and reimposed heavy sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
In retaliation, Tehran significantly increased its stockpile of enriched material and raised the threshold to 60 percent, approaching the 90 percent required to build a nuclear bomb, according to the IAEA definition.
“We are fast approaching a critical moment for UN Security Council Resolution 2231 next year. “Iran must slow down its nuclear program to create a political environment conducive to significant progress and a negotiated solution,” France, Germany and Britain stress in their letter.
Resolution 2231 that approved the 2015 agreement expires in October 2025, ten years after the agreement entered into force.
The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the issue of Iran’s nuclear program on Tuesday.
Representatives of E3 and Iran met in late November in Geneva and agreed to continue the dialogue.
Tehran defends its right to nuclear power for civilian purposes, mainly energy, but denies it wants a nuclear bomb, despite Western suspicions to the contrary.