France, Germany and the UK impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program

2025-08-29 08:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have begun the process to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The so-called fast-track sanctions, a move the United States welcomed on Thursday, come at a time when diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's growing nuclear program have failed. Tehran has condemned the move and warned that there could be consequences for reimposing sanctions.

The “E3” countries notified the UN Security Council on Thursday that they were activating the rollback mechanism, which would restore all UN sanctions that were previously lifted in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The mechanism was included as part of that agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

Iran has increasingly violated the nuclear deal since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018. “Today, Iran’s non-compliance with the JCPoA is clear and deliberate, and countries with high concerns about Iran’s nuclear proliferation are outside the IAEA’s (International Atomic Energy Agency) monitoring,” the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on Thursday.

"Iran has no civilian justification for its highly enriched uranium stockpiles."

"Therefore, its nuclear program remains a clear threat to international peace and security," the statement added.

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the action on Thursday, calling it a "provocative and unnecessary escalation" that would be met with "appropriate responses."

The ministry said in a statement that the E3's decision "will severely damage Iran's ongoing process of interactions and cooperation" with the IAEA.

Iran has spent decades developing its nuclear program, which it claims is solely for peaceful energy purposes. The country has said it plans to build additional nuclear plants to meet domestic energy needs and free up more oil for export.

Nuclear power plants require uranium, and according to the UN nuclear watchdog, no other country has the kind of uranium that Iran currently has without also having a nuclear weapons program.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to limits on its centrifuges, significantly reduced its uranium stockpile and kept its uranium enrichment levels to no more than 3.67%, down from nearly 20%. It also agreed to more international inspections of its nuclear facilities. In return, Tehran received billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

But Iran has significantly increased its uranium enrichment program since the Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. Tehran started with about 150 kg of uranium enriched to 3.6% - which is enough for nuclear reactors and a peaceful nuclear program - and now has 50 times the 2018 level./ CNA