Europe Launches Sanction Process Against Iran, UN DK Holds Meeting Today

Iran's nuclear facility gate in Natanz. (Wikimedia Commons/Parsa.2au)

JAKARTA - Britain, France, and Germany on Thursday unveiled a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, a move that is likely to trigger tensions two months after Israel and the United States bombed Tehran's nuclear facilities.

Panama, which holds the post of president of the UN Security Council for August, confirmed Germany and France have started the process of reimposing sanctions against Iran following a failed negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

"Yes, they have sent an official letter informing their request to activate a snapshot," a spokesman for Panama's permanent mission to the United Nations told reporters, quoted from TASS Aug. 29.

The three countries known as E3 are concerned that if they don't do what the so-called "shuffleback mechanism" now, they will lose their prerogative in mid-October to recover sanctions against Tehran that have been lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the decision did not signal the end of diplomacy.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Iran to immediately cooperate fully with the UN nuclear watchdog body, committed to conducting direct negotiations with the United States over the next month.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors on Friday at E3's request to discuss snapback measures against the Islamic Republic, diplomats said.

Previously, Iran and E3 had held several rounds of negotiations since Israel and the US bombed its nuclear installation in mid-June, with the aim of agreeing to postpone the snapshot mechanism.

However, E3 assessed that the negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday did not produce an adequate signal of readiness for a new deal from Iran.

The E3 acted on Thursday on charges Iran had violated the 2015 Nuclear Deal aimed at preventing it from developing nuclear weapons capabilities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

It is known, E3, together with Russia, China, and the United States, are parties to the agreement.

US President at the time, Trump, withdrew Uncle Sam's country from the agreement in 2018 during his first term, calling the deal unilateral in Iran's favor, and the deal fell apart in the following years as Iran ignored the limits set on enrichment of its uranium.

Trump's second administration held indirect negotiations that yielded no results earlier this year with Tehran.

E3 said it hoped Iran would engage by the end of September to ease concerns about its nuclear agenda adequately so they could delay concrete action.

"E3 is committed to using every available diplomatic tool to ensure Iran has never developed nuclear weapons," including a snapshotback mechanism, they said in a letter sent to the UN Security Council and seen by Reuters.

"Nevertheless, E3's commitment to diplomatic solutions remains steadfast," he said.

The E3 itself has offered a six-month snapshotback extension to allow for serious negotiations if Iran restores access to UN nuclear inspectors who will also seek to account for Iran's large enriched uranium stock whose status has been unknown since the June war and is involved in negotiations with the US.

The UN process takes 30 days before sanctions that will hit Iran's financial, banking, hydrocarbon, and defense sectors are restored.