French foreign minister says offer to suspend reactivation of sanctions to give negotiations a chance has so far gone unanswered
The E3 countries could reinstate global sanctions on Iran if it continues to violate its nuclear obligations, the French foreign minister confirmed Thursday after sending a joint letter to the UN.
"Iran must in no way gain access to nuclear weapons. If it continues to violate its international obligations, France and its German and British partners will, by the end of August, reinstate the global embargoes on arms, nuclear equipment, and banking restrictions lifted 10 years ago," Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on US social media company X.
He said their offer to "temporarily and conditionally" suspend the reactivation of the sanctions to give negotiations a chance his offer has so far gone unanswered by Iran.
Barrot also shared the joint letter they had sent to the UN on Aug. 8, which was earlier obtained by the Financial Times.
The "E3 have always committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism," the E3 foreign ministers wrote in the letter.
They warned that Iran's proliferation crisis cannot be removed from the UN Security Council's agenda at the moment as Iran's nuclear activities with "no credible civilian justification" are ongoing.
"Without a robust, durable, and verifiable agreement in place, we cannot let the relevant decisions of the UNSC and the applicable international architecture lapse. Direct negotiations between Iran and the US must resume urgently. The E3 stand ready to support this process," they said.
The European nations reaffirmed that they are "fully committed" to a diplomatic resolution and will continue to engage with a view to reaching a negotiated solution.
Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June, to destroy its nuclear program. The US also intervened and bombed three nuclear sites raid during the war.
The three countries were signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal along with the US, China and Russia to limit enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. But President Donald withdrew the US out of the accord in 2018 during his first term and reinstated sanctions.
Iran halted cooperation with the IAEA after the strikes, but this week it said the agency's deputy chief was expected in Tehran for talks.
The E3 and EU also held nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul last month.
