French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the UK and Germany will join his country in enacting snapback sanctions against Iran if no progress is made in nuclear talks.
Barrot said the E3, made up of the three countries, is “justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks, and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago. Without a firm, tangible, and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.”
The mechanism is part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iran nuclear deal struck under the auspices of former US president Barack Obama. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.
There are no nuclear talks underway between the US and Iran, following the 12-day war last month.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that the E3 “have no standing to invoke the mechanism. The so-called snapback has no legal, political, or ethical justification.”