France, Germany and the UK have told the UN they are prepared to trigger the reimposition of sanctions on Iran unless it resumes negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme.
The foreign ministers of the three countries – known collectively as the E3 – wrote to the UN on Tuesday to raise the spectre of implementing a “snapback” mechanism unless Iran takes action. But they said they had offered to extend a deadline to start the process if Tehran returned to the negotiating table.
“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, [the E3] are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” the ministers said in the letter, which was obtained by the Financial Times.
The European powers have to decide whether to invoke snapback a month before crucial clauses of a 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with the E3, the Obama administration, Russia and China, expire in October.
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The accord, under which Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief, has been in a state of collapse since US president Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned it during his first term.
Iran responded by aggressively expanding its nuclear activity and was enriching uranium at levels close to weapons grade before Israel launched its 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June.
Before the conflict, the Trump administration and Iran had been holding indirect talks in an effort to resolve the long-running stand-off over its nuclear programme.
But Israel’s attack, which was launched 48 hours before Tehran and Washington were to hold a sixth round of talks, upended the diplomatic process. The US briefly joined Israel in bombing Iran’s main nuclear facilities.
The E3 told Iran at talks in Turkey last month that they could extend the snapback deadline if Tehran agreed to resume talks with the US and co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
One western diplomat said the talks had been “difficult”.
On Tuesday, the E3 said their offer of an extension “remained unanswered by Iran”.
The ministers said a “limited extension” would provide more time for talks aimed at concluding a new nuclear agreement, while maintaining the ability to reimpose sanctions to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Following the Istanbul meeting in July, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told the FT that the E3 had no “legal or moral grounds” to implement the snapback. He warned that Iran would exclude the European powers from future nuclear talks if they went through with the process.
Mr Araghchi accused the E3 of failing to meet their commitments under the 2015 deal and said the snapback mechanism was “not that important any more”.
“With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything,” Mr Araghchi said. “If they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them.”
In their letter, the E3 ministers said they were “clearly and unambiguously” legally justified in reimposing sanctions on Iran because since 2019 – a year after Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord – Tehran had “wilfully” departed from its commitments under the deal.
Tehran has said it remains open to talks with the Trump administration. But its stance hardened after Israel’s assault.
Mr Araghchi has said Iran wants assurances from the US that it will not be attacked during future talks, and wants “confidence-building measures”, including the US agreeing to compensate Iran for war damage.
Iran announced after Israel’s attack that it was suspending co-operation with the IAEA, which has had inspectors in the country. A senior IAEA official met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry said, but the UN nuclear watchdog has not commented on the trip.
The letter to UN secretary general António Guterres and the UN Security Council was signed by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, and UK foreign minister David Lammy. It comes two months after the US and Israel struck nuclear sites in Iran.
The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.- Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
