On August 28, the United Kingdom, France and Germany triggered the Snapback mechanism set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. That gives Iran 30 days to respond to the European trio’s demands on its nuclear program, or international sanctions could be restored for the first time since 2015.
The move could bring back restrictions on the financial, banking, oil and gas, and defense sectors. Expectations of new penalties have already hit the Iranian currency: according to AP, the rial traded above 1 million per US dollar, nearing record lows.
Why the move came now
The Europeans acted before October 18, 2025, when several provisions of Resolution 2231, including the Snapback mechanism itself, are due to expire. After that date, any Security Council action would require the usual coordination among permanent members, and Russia and China would likely resist further pressure on Tehran.
According to the article, Moscow has already indicated it does not intend to comply with any renewed sanctions. Beijing, still the main buyer of Iranian oil, is also unlikely to halt purchases. That means the practical effect of restored sanctions could remain limited even if they formally return.
What the West wants
After an inconclusive meeting in Geneva on August 26, the European trio is seeking full restoration of IAEA inspectors’ access, clarification over roughly 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium after the June strikes on Iranian facilities, and renewed talks between Tehran and Washington. The main obstacle, however, is the position of Donald Trump’s administration, which is demanding “zero enrichment,” meaning a complete end to Iran’s uranium enrichment activities.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the country remains “committed to diplomacy and to finding a mutually beneficial diplomatic solution.”
Tehran, however, views a total halt to enrichment as unacceptable and cites its right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. As possible countermeasures, Iran could scale back cooperation with the IAEA, withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and harden its stance toward the three European states. Experts quoted in the article say the psychological and political impact of the Western move is significant, but that for Iran the decisive factor is less the sanctions themselves than the risk of new military strikes.