U.S. and European Allies Set August Deadline for Iran Nuclear Deal, Threaten U.N. Sanctions Snapback
by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany have set an end-of-August deadline for Iran to make concrete progress on a renewed nuclear deal–or face the reimposition of tough United Nations sanctions under the 2015 nuclear agreement’s “snapback” provision.
Following a phone call Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the three European powers, diplomats from all four nations agreed to coordinate the timeline, according to multiple sources cited by Axios and confirmed by State Department officials.
The warning comes amid heightened tensions after Israeli and U.S. strikes in June targeted Iranian nuclear and missile sites, halting ongoing talks and severely damaging Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed last week that the extent of destruction at key sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan has made inspections impossible. Tehran has suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the aftermath.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, said that without “a verifiable commitment from Iran by the end of August,” the U.K., France, and Germany would be “justified in reapplying the U.N. sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago.”
The snapback process, which reactivates all sanctions previously suspended under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), takes 30 days once triggered. Western officials reportedly aim to complete that process before October, when Russia assumes the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council–potentially complicating enforcement.
The possibility of reimposing sanctions has divided international leaders. Some European and Israeli officials voiced concern that U.S. President Donald Trump might oppose the move if he believed it could derail negotiations. However, Trump indicated otherwise.
“They would like to talk,” Trump said Tuesday. “I’m in no rush to talk because we obliterated their site.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly raised the issue during a White House meeting last week with Trump, Rubio, and U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff has urged direct Washington-Tehran talks to avoid miscommunication and accelerate progress.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran remains open to diplomacy but warned that future talks depend on guarantees against further attacks. He told CBS News earlier this month, “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut,” but demanded assurances before resuming any dialogue.
The current impasse follows five rounds of high-level talks between Araghchi and Witkoff, held earlier this year under Omani mediation. Negotiations collapsed after Israel’s surprise military campaign on June 13, which triggered a regional war and drew U.S. forces into direct conflict with Iran.
In response to those attacks, Iran launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 1,100 drones at Israel, killing 29 people and injuring thousands. Iran also struck a U.S. base in Qatar, escalating tensions further. Despite the scale of retaliation, Iran continues to claim its nuclear ambitions are peaceful–though Western officials argue its 60% uranium enrichment and inspector obstruction suggest otherwise.
If no agreement is reached by late August, and snapback sanctions are imposed, Iran has threatened to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) altogether, a move that could push the region toward a new level of instability.
As of Tuesday, Iran has not commented officially on the looming deadline or potential sanctions, though its parliament issued a statement saying no nuclear talks should resume until unspecified “preconditions” are met.
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