- calendar_today August 25, 2025
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Germany, France and the United Kingdom plan to trigger the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, CNN was told by three European officials on Wednesday. The so-called “snapback” mechanism of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be triggered as early as Thursday.
The process would take 30 days to come into effect, meaning a narrow window for diplomacy. European leaders hope that will give Tehran time to return to serious negotiations, open its facilities to international inspectors, and take measures to come back into compliance with its nuclear obligations.
Iran, which has threatened a harsh response if sanctions are reimposed, has shown no such interest in a return to diplomacy, raising the risk of further turmoil in a region already roiled by recent fighting.
A member of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps stands near a missile at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, on July 18, 2024. Ahmad Mashhadipour/Getty Images
Snapback Mechanism Set to Expire
The snapback provision was written into the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It allows members to restore UN sanctions on Iran if they believe Iran is not in compliance with the agreement. The authority to snap back sanctions will expire in October.
Iran’s nuclear program has ramped up far beyond the JCPOA limits since former US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal. While Tehran maintains its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful energy purposes, inspectors and analysts have warned the program is approaching thresholds for weapons-grade materials.
“Going back to the original JCPOA would be almost impossible,” said Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his European counterparts have been in close contact this week to co-ordinate plans for the snapback of sanctions on Iran. “This is a very powerful piece of leverage on the Iranian regime,” Rubio said on Wednesday.
Inspectors Return
Iranian lawmakers have passed legislation suspending co-operation with international inspectors and threatened to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if sanctions are restored. But IAEA inspectors have since returned to Iran.
“Iran is open for talks and the inspectors are in Bushehr nuclear power plant,” Grossi said on Wednesday. “Today we are inspecting Bushehr,” he added later to reporters in Washington. “We are continuing the conversation so that we can go to all places, including the facilities that have been attacked.”
The IAEA’s inspections and safeguards are derived from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran is a signatory of the NPT. Withdrawing from the NPT is reportedly one of the options Tehran is considering if sanctions are reinstated.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the return of inspectors to Bushehr to monitor fuel replacement was due to a decision by the Supreme National Security Council. He denied that the council had agreed to any broader “new cooperation.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, meets with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran, Iran, on June 11. Milad Moslehi/AFP via Getty Images
Fallout From Recent Conflict
Israel launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June that triggered a 12-day conflict. Iranian attacks then targeted Israeli cities and US forces joined in the last days of the conflict to strike three Iranian sites.
The IAEA said in July it was withdrawing its inspectors from Iran because the conditions of wartime made it impossible to continue monitoring. Satellite images later showed Iranian authorities covered up the entrances to the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Research Center following strikes.
Iran alleged the agency had given Israel an excuse to attack by making public information that the Islamic Republic was not in compliance with safeguard rules.
Divisions Inside Iran
Iran’s decision to allow IAEA inspectors into at least some facilities has drawn domestic criticism. Kamran Ghazanfari, a member of parliament, denounced remarks by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf about “allowing some limited inspections” at Iran’s nuclear sites, according to Al Jazeera. Ghazanfari called Ghalibaf’s comments an “explicit violation” of the legislation suspending co-operation with the IAEA.
Iran’s parliament approved the legislation after the June conflict, citing the need to protect Iran against foreign aggression and perceived bias in IAEA reports.
European negotiators held talks with Iranian representatives in Geneva on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement to avoid the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. Sources with knowledge of the meeting told CNN that little progress was made.
In the weeks before the recent conflict, US envoy Steve Witkoff was also engaged in diplomatic efforts to negotiate a new nuclear deal. The talks broke down with the start of the fighting.
Grossi is not holding his breath, but remains hopeful that the coming month could bring a de-escalation. “Don’t forget that there is still time, even if there is the triggering thing, there is a month, and many things could happen,” Grossi said.
