TANZANIA – The United Kingdom, France, and Germany have concurred to reinstate stringent U.N. sanctions on Iran by the close of August if there is no tangible advancement on a nuclear agreement, according to two European diplomats on Tuesday.
The ambassadors from the three nations to the United Nations convened on Tuesday at the German U.N. Mission to deliberate on a potential Iranian accord and the reinstatement of sanctions. This issue was also part of a phone discussion on Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of these countries, as stated by two U.S. officials.
The State Department said after the call that the four had spoken about “ensuring Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon.”
The officials and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The U.K., France, and Germany are signatories to a 2015 accord with Iran aimed at curbing its nuclear activities, from which President Donald Trump withdrew the United States during his first term, claiming it lacked sufficient stringency.
Under the accord that lifted economic penalties on Iran in exchange for restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program, a so-called “snapback” provision allows one of the Western parties to reimpose U.N. sanctions if Tehran does not comply with its requirements.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters in Brussels Tuesday that the three European countries would be justified in reapplying sanctions.
“Without a firm, tangible, and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest,” Barrot said, according to Reuters. One of the diplomats confirmed his comments to The Associated Press.
The diplomats did not provide details of the deal being sought. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that Tehran would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S. if there were assurances of no more attacks, following Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.
He said there should be “a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated, stressing that “the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution.”
The United States and Iran held several rounds of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program before the Israeli strikes began in June. Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said last week that talks would happen soon, but nothing has yet been scheduled.
Araghchi, whose country insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, said in a July 2 CBS interview that “the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
Iran’s U.N. Mission had no comment Tuesday on the threat of renewed sanctions if there is no deal.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country’s nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA.
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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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