France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the E3), while invoking the “snapback” mechanism against Iran on Thursday, which restores international sanctions, signaled that the step does not close off the path to diplomacy.
The snapback mechanism, built into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or 2015 Iran nuclear deal, allows any signatory to reimpose sanctions against Iran automatically lifted under the deal if it is deemed in breach of its commitments. The move reinstates a series of measures, including restrictions on conventional arms transfers, ballistic missile development and nuclear-related technology.
The United States attempted to reimpose a U.N. arms embargo on Iran in 2020, but the president of the Security Council ruled it was no longer a “participant” in the nuclear deal, having pulled out in 2018.
The letter the E3 sent to the president of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday started a 30-day process to reimpose sanctions.
However, the letter stated, “The E3’s commitment to a diplomatic solution nonetheless remains steadfast. The Ε3 will fully make use of the 30-day period following the notification in order to resolve the issue.”
Ambassador Barbara Woodward, U.K. permanent representative to the United Nations, reiterated on Aug. 29 the E3’s commitment to a diplomatic solution in a joint statement on behalf of France, Germany and Britain.
Despite Iran “increasingly and deliberately” ceasing to fulfill nearly all its commitments under the JCPOA, “France, Germany and the United Kingdom are making every effort to resolve this diplomatically,” Woodward said.
“Most recently, we offered Iran an extension to snapback should Iran take specific steps to address our most immediate concerns,” she said.
However, the Islamic Republic swiftly denounced the E3 move and appeared to reject negotiating with the E3, in a strongly worded response on Aug. 28.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “categorically” rejected and in the “strongest possible terms” condemned the “unlawful notification” submitted by the E3, it said in the statement.
"[T]he three European States possess neither legal nor moral standing to resort to the so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism. Their notification is, therefore, null, void, devoid of validity and without any legal effect whatsoever,” the statement read.
As the E3 have aligned themselves with the “coercive measures” of the United States, they can no longer “claim to the status of ‘good-faith parties,’” it added.
Iran said it was willing to deal with “other members” of the U.N. Security Council, “who are sincerely committed to preserving diplomacy and to averting an artificial crisis that serves the interest of none.”
“Other members” appears to refer at least in part to China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
Unilateralism and hegemony
As Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian prepared to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference (Aug. 31-Sept. 1), he described the summit as an effort “to counter unilateralism and hegemony promoted by the United States and some European countries in the world,” according to Mehr News Agency, a semi-official Iranian news outlet, on Sunday.
In response to the E3 move, Iranian lawmakers also began drafting an “emergency plan” to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Mehr News Agency reported on Aug. 28. Iran’s parliament had made a similar threat in June.
The NPT guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forgo atomic weapons and cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Last week, the E3’s move was greeted with praise by U.S., Israeli leaders, and Jewish organizations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the E3 “have laid out a clear case of Iran’s continuing ‘significant non-performance’ of its nuclear commitments, establishing a strong basis for initiating snapback.
“Moreover, the E3 could have initiated snapback at any point since 2019 but chose instead to first pursue intensive outreach and engagement, to provide Iran with a diplomatic off-ramp from its strategy of nuclear escalation,” he added.
Rubio said that Washington will work with allies on the sanctions and also is available “for direct engagement with Iran, in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.”
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said that “Iran continues to ignore the international community and violate its commitments time and time again. Now, the countries of the world are also joining the fight against the axis of evil. This is an important step on the way to stopping the Iranian nuclear program and increasing pressure on the regime in Tehran,” he said.
The American Jewish Committee said the sanctions are “an important step toward holding the Iranian regime accountable for its repeated violations of its nuclear obligations and its continued dangerous actions.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said that snapback is “a critical step to increase pressure on the Iranian regime by restoring international restrictions and sanctions targeting the country’s nuclear and missile programs.”
