Overview

• The UK, France and Germany will notify the UN Security Council by the end of August to reactivate the 2015 nuclear deal’s snapback clause if Iran does not provide firm, verifiable constraints on its nuclear programme.
• The procedure triggers automatic reimposition of all UN sanctions within 30 days, bypassing vetoes by Russia and China, and aims to conclude before Russia’s Security Council presidency begins in October.
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined his French, German and British counterparts in a phone call to align on the deadline and leverage snapback as both diplomatic pressure and a fallback option.
• Tehran has halted cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency since June U.S. and Israeli strikes and its parliament insists on guarantees against further attacks before any negotiations can resume.
• Iran has warned that triggering snapback would terminate Europe’s mediator role, potentially spur weapons-grade enrichment and prompt withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.