French Foreign Minister Warns UN Snapback Sanctions Against Iran Will Be Applied Absent Nuclear Agreement by End of August

Latest Developments

• Snapback Deadline Announced: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has pledged to activate the UN sanctions snapback mechanism at the end of August if no agreement is reached with Iran over its nuclear program. Speaking on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Barrot said that France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, known collectively as the “E3,” would be “justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks, and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago.” He added that without “a firm, tangible, and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.”
• EU Imposes New Iran Sanctions: Barrot’s comments came as the European Council, the body that gathers the heads of government of European Union members, stated  it was imposing sanctions on eight Iranian individuals and one entity allegedly responsible for targeting Iranian dissidents in Europe for assassination. The list includes the Zindashti Network, described as a criminal group connected to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and its head, Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti, described as a narcotics trafficker and organized crime boss. Barrot underscored that the sanctions had been imposed on those listed for “violating the interests of France and Europe.”
• Iran Denies Legal Basis of Snapback Mechanism: Iran angrily rejected Barrot’s warning, with its foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, claiming that “the so-called snapback mechanism has no legal or political basis.” Without elaborating, Baghaei also asserted that the “European parties themselves also violated their obligations under the deal and failed to act accordingly” and therefore had “no standing to invoke the mechanism.” On July 15, state media outlets in Iran reported that Tehran could boost its uranium enrichment to 90 percent, weapons-grade level, and consider exiting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if snapback were implemented.

FDD Expert Response

“The welcome announcement from the French foreign minister, along with the European Council sanctions against nine Iranian individuals and entities, demonstrates the degree to which the Tehran regime’s nuclear ambitions have turned it into a global pariah. Neither the E3 nor the U.S. administration can afford to waver at this critical point; if Iran continues refusing these entreaties to cooperate, then France must make good on its pledge to implement snapback at the end of August.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO  

“The sword of Damocles is hanging over the regime in Tehran. While the threat of snapback sanctions has so far been Europe’s strongest diplomatic card against the Islamic Republic, a willingness to use it and envision a more multilateral version of the U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ policy is something more. Now is the time for European decision-makers to add credibility to this threat by determining, in concert with their American counterparts, how the snapback mechanism can be used to prevent Tehran from building back better.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“U.S. Announces New Sanctions Against Iran’s ‘Shadow Banking’ Network,” FDD Flash Brief

“Sanctions? Iran’s Secret Oil Network Fuels Its Regime,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad

“‘Striking All Components of the Axis Iran Has Built’: IDF Captures Iranian Operatives in Southern Syria,” FDD Flash Brief