France, Germany and UK say they are ready to reimpose Iran sanctions

Paris: 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, media 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.