JAKARTA - The US-Iran peace deal has not automatically paved the way for economic relief for Tehran. Because, some sanctions against Iran are under the authority of the UN Security Council, not just Washington.
Based on a report by Arab News, quoted Tuesday, June 16, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 14 to end the war of more than three months. The agreement also opens a 60-day negotiation period.
The two countries agreed to end military operations "immediately and permanently" on all fronts, including Lebanon. The official signing is scheduled to take place on June 19 in Switzerland.
In the agreement, Iran committed to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment. The US agreed to lift sanctions and unfreeze billions of dollars' worth of Iranian funds. However, many points still depend on the final agreement.
Iranian state media published what it called a "14-point draft". According to the report, the draft includes the release of Iranian assets worth 24 billion US dollars during a 60-day negotiation period. However, Iranian and US officials have not confirmed the contents of the draft publicly.
For Tehran, the main target of the negotiations is the cessation of all UN resolutions and the International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA against Iran. This is where the problem becomes complicated.
Iran's demands clash with the snapback mechanism. This term refers to the re-imposition of UN sanctions if Iran is judged not to comply with the 2015 nuclear agreement or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The mechanism is regulated in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The rules allow JCPOA participants to re-impose old sanctions against Iran by simply notifying the Security Council of alleged major violations. After the process is underway, a veto cannot stop it.
Different Reactions from Several Countries
According to Arab News, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, known as the E3, triggered the snapback mechanism on August 28, 2025. Since the Security Council failed to maintain the sanctions relief, UN sanctions against Iran automatically came back into effect on September 27.
The sanctions include Iran's nuclear and missile programs, asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions on Iranian banks' access to the global financial system. The US-Iranian peace deal does not automatically change this part.
"Only the Security Council can approve the lifting of sanctions that were reimposed through the snapback mechanism last August," Daniel Forti, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Arab News.
According to Forti, the US-Iran memorandum of understanding can indeed open political opportunities for Washington to consider lifting sanctions. However, the UN sanctions relief still requires the approval of the Security Council.
The road is not easy. China and Russia questioned the E3's right to use the snapback mechanism. They argued that the previous sanctions were permanently lifted on October 18, 2025, when the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 were originally scheduled to expire.
Iran, China, and Russia also stated that the E3 had no right to use the mechanism because it was considered that they were no longer fulfilling their commitments in the JCPOA. On the other hand, the US, France, and the UK considered that the snapback was triggered legally.
The difference makes the implementation of sanctions not uniform. Some countries continue to trade with Iran. Others comply with the UN sanctions that have been reimposed.
Forti said the snapback sanctions include four sanction regimes. The content targets Iran's nuclear and missile production, asset freezes, travel bans, and Iran's banking relations with the global financial system.
"Although Russia, China, and some other countries may continue to trade with Iran without complying with these sanctions, a number of other countries comply with them. So, these sanctions still weigh heavily on Iran's economy," Forti said.
Some Ganjalan
The International Crisis Group assessed that the amount of economic relief that Iran would receive was still one of the main questions in the 60-day negotiations.
US President Donald Trump's statement earlier opened the possibility of easing the main US embargo and the establishment of a large recovery fund for Iran. However, there is a clear limit: US sanctions can be lifted through Washington's policy, while UN sanctions must go through a multilateral channel.
"The US does have policy leverage to make changes in its national capacity. However, changes to the four UN sanctions regimes must go through a much more difficult multilateral path," Forti said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said it would ask for a new Security Council resolution to ratify the final agreement. The move was described as a lesson from the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The new Security Council resolution could provide a legal basis for a final deal and pave the way for the lifting of snapback sanctions. However, it is only possible if the five permanent members of the Security Council agree, or at least do not use their veto.
Forti assessed that the path to meaningful economic relief for Iran does not only pass through Washington, but also the UN Security Council in New York.
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