NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council voted Friday to reimpose sweeping economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, a move pushed by Britain, France, and Germany but rejected by Tehran as unlawful and coercive.
The three European powers, all signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), argued that Iran has repeatedly violated its commitments under the deal by amassing uranium stocks far beyond permitted levels. In a letter to the UN last month, they accused Tehran of breaching “several commitments,” including building a uranium reserve more than 40 times the treaty’s limit.
Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, reacted angrily after the vote. “Today’s action is hasty, unnecessary and unlawful. Iran recognizes no obligation to implement it,” he told the Council, denouncing the sanctions as “the politics of coercion.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier claimed Tehran had offered a “fair and balanced” compromise to European powers in a bid to avoid the return of sanctions.
British ambassador Barbara Woodward said the move was necessary to uphold international security, while stressing that diplomacy remains possible. “We urge Iran to act now,” she said, adding that the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York could offer an opening for talks.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in an interview ahead of the vote, predicted that sanctions would be back in place by the end of the month, though France’s UN envoy left the door open to a negotiated solution.
The JCPOA, hailed at its signing as a breakthrough for nuclear non-proliferation, has steadily unraveled since the United States withdrew in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. Washington’s unilateral sanctions sparked Iran’s gradual retreat from its commitments, including curbs on uranium enrichment.
Tensions spiked further this June during a 12-day war between Iran and Israel, during which Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities. The conflict derailed talks with Washington and led Tehran to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Inspectors from the Vienna-based watchdog left Iran shortly afterward.
On Thursday, Tehran withdrew a draft IAEA resolution calling for a ban on attacks against nuclear sites, blaming U.S. pressure.
Iran has warned it could exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entirely if the UN sanctions snapback is enforced.
Analysts say the Security Council could still adopt a resolution to delay sanctions if Iran and European powers strike a last-minute bargain. But with trust eroded and the 2015 deal “in tatters,” chances of salvaging it appear slim.
“The Council still has time to greenlight a further resolution extending the suspension of sanctions, if Iran and the Europeans reach a last-minute bargain,” UN expert Richard Gowan noted.
For now, Tehran has vowed defiance, while Western capitals insist sanctions are the only way to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
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