Europe poised to reinstate sanctions on Iran's nuclear program shortly
France's President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that major European nations, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, are likely to reimpose international sanctions on Iran. The decision comes in response to Iran's alleged violations of the 2015 nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The three European nations, collectively known as the E3, initially committed to maintaining the JCPOA but now accuse Iran of breaching its provisions. The E3 alleges that Iran has amassed a uranium stockpile exceeding the 2015 agreement's limit by more than 40 times.
Iran, however, considers the E3's decision to reimpose sanctions as unjustified, illegal, and lacking any legal basis. On Wednesday, a phone conversation between the foreign ministers of the E3 countries, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and their Iranian counterpart failed to yield any significant advancement towards reaching an agreement.
If the E3 moves forward, it would mean implementing the broad United Nations sanctions that existed before the 2015 agreement, including a ban on conventional arms, limits on ballistic missile programs, and freezes on Iranian assets. The heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, and France openly support this step and have publicly stated that there is a likelihood this will happen by the end of September 2025.
The escalating tensions over Iran's perceived nuclear weapons ambitions have been a source of concern this summer, with the US, Iran, and Israel at the center of the conflict. In June, a 12-day Israeli war on Iran took place, during which the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites.
It is important to note that no new sanctions were mentioned in the context of this article, but a previous paragraph stated that the US had slapped new sanctions on individuals and firms that help Iran sell its oil. Additionally, no specific actions against Israel were mentioned in the paragraphs, but a previous paragraph mentioned that Iran considers nuclear inspection access and urges action against Israel.
The current situation stems from the 2018 decision by US President Donald Trump to unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and reimpose sanctions. Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.
Macron, in an interview on Israel's Channel 12 on Thursday, stated that Iran's efforts to avoid sanctions were "not serious". The E3's initiative to reintroduce UN sanctions against Iran is a significant development in the ongoing saga of the JCPOA and the international community's efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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