David Lammy is U.K. secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs. Johann Wadephul is Germany’s federal minister for foreign affairs. Jean-Noël Barrot is France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs.
There has long been international concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Confidence in Iranian assurances has reached a historic low, regional tensions are rising, and the key United Nations Security Council Resolution is set to expire in a few weeks’ time.
That’s why, this week, as the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, we triggered the so-called snapback procedure to hold Iran’s dangerous nuclear program on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
Our action follows two decades of international diplomacy, since the public revelations of Iran’s nuclear weapons program in 2003.
In 2015, following several United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) was agreed.
The JCPoA endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was signed by Iran. It limited Iran’s nuclear enrichment and introduced UN monitoring arrangements to build confidence that Iran’s nuclear program was exclusively peaceful.
In return for its commitment to abide by the JCPoA, Iran received sanctions relief.
Should Iran not adhere to its commitments, Security Council Resolution 2231 included a mechanism, which would allow any JCPoA participant state to initiate a process that leads to the re-establishment of resolutions and sanctions: the “snapback” mechanism.
This arrangement gave the world hope.
Over the following decade Iran has repeatedly undermined the agreement.
Since 2019, Iran has broken almost all of its JCPoA commitments. Its stockpile of enriched uranium is now 45 times over the JCPoA limit.
With blatant non-compliance, Iran also started enriching – and accumulating – uranium up to 60 percent. No other country without nuclear weapons is producing such material.
Iran has also curtailed monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, contrary to its JCPoA commitments and to its legal requirements under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
As a result, since 2022, the IAEA, has been unable to assure the international community that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.
Now, with the risks to international peace and security from Iran’s nuclear program greater than ever, we were left with no choice but to initiate the snapback process.
Over the last decade we have made every effort to resolve the issue diplomatically, including many months of negotiations in 2021-2022 – twice offering Iran a generous deal, which they refused.
And for many years now, we have made it clear to Iran that we cannot allow Security Council Resolution 2231 to expire without a comprehensive deal in place – with E3 Officials meeting Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministers 5 times this year alone.
We have spoken to Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi regularly, including in Geneva this June, during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. In July, we spoke to Minister Araghchi offering Iran a snapback extension.
The extension conditions we made were fair and realistic: resume negotiations on a comprehensive deal; comply with the IAEA, including inspections of all nuclear facilities and material, as required by Iran’s legal obligations; take steps to address the high enriched uranium stockpile.
Unfortunately, Iran has not met these conditions, and the minimal steps it took fell well short of our requirements. This brings us to the action we have taken this week.
Following the triggering of snapback process, there are now 30 days to find a diplomatic solution on the Iran nuclear issue before snapback takes effect, and six previously lifted UNSC resolutions come back into force. There remains a clear diplomatic path forward, if Iran chooses to take it.
But, for now, our action sends a clear message – we will work together to uphold the international non-proliferation architecture and to act against threats to international security.
The onus is now on Iran to refrain from further escalation, re-engage seriously, and choose a path of constructive diplomacy.
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