The UK, joined by France and Germany, said they will relaunch United Nations-backed sanctions on Iran over concerns about Tehran’s nuclear programme. The three countries, grouped as the E3, plan to reimpose a broad package of measures that were suspended under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). They wrote to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and notified the United Nations this week, triggering a 30-day countdown before the sanctions take effect. Officials said talks could resume during the period with a view to Iran agreeing to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there was no choice but to restart the sanctions as Iran had not met the conditions of the extension offer. He added that the move was taken in partnership with his French and German counterparts and that the snapback mechanism would end sanctions relief if Iran did not engage. The statement noted that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is far beyond JCPOA limits and that monitoring by the IAEA has been restricted.

In a joint statement, the E3 asserted that Iran’s non-compliance with the JCPOA was clear and deliberate. The 30-day period will see sanctions reintroduced unless Iran accepts the conditions of the extension or the UN Security Council decides to continue lifting them. A UK government official cited three reasons for the action: significant non-compliance with the 2015 deal, the stockpile being above 400kg of enriched uranium, and insufficient progress toward an agreement to scale back the programme. The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the decision, saying it addressed a clear threat to security.