Tehran – On July 26, 2025, British, French and German leaders issued a joint threatening Iran to invoke the so-called “snapback mechanism” by August 31, 2025.
If implemented, this measure will restore all UN Security Council sanctions that were in place before 2015 in the year the JCPOA was finalized. For Iran, the move will serve as yet another example of Europe using international law to exploit further Western strategic interests.
The threat was issued following a conference call held on the same day between British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz. Meanwhile, the trio discussed various international developments, including Iran’s nuclear programme under the Safeguard Agreement.
European pressure policy
The timing of this threat should not be ignored, and should not be ignored. It came a day after the European Union and Iran resumed diplomatic debate on July 25th. The conference was their first communication since US-Israel airstrikes targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities in mid-June 2025. Following the unprovoked war, Tehran argues that return to negotiations should include assurances that such aggressive actions will not be repeated.
Rather than addressing these security issues, European leaders are trying to put pressure on Iran despite failing to comply with the JCPOA following the US withdrawal in May 2018. The current European stance will not become Iranian officials as a diplomatic overture, but as a rhetorical coercion of international responsibility.
European double standards for nuclear compliance
Iran has repeatedly demonstrated that it is ready to take part in the debate, but it argues that they must be fair and based on mutual respect. Tehran’s authorities emphasize that Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that its nuclear activity is consistently monitored by the IAEA. Iran argues that this major contradiction undermines the reliability of the global non-diffusion framework.
Conversely, European countries have insisted on full Iranian compliance with the JCPOA despite their inability to fulfill their agreement-made commitments. Tehran has complied with the requirements of the year-round agreement despite facing severe US sanctions throughout that period. This commitment has been repeatedly confirmed by the IAEA. European efforts to bypass these sanctions through the Instex mechanism ultimately provided no fragments of economic benefits to Iran.
In contrast, Israel has not encountered multiple acts of sabotage targeting Iranian nuclear sites and the consequences of assassination of nuclear scientists committed with Western approval or indifference. Iranian officials say the selective enforcement of international standards reinforces the belief that Western powers are invested in maintaining regional control rather than truly endorsing the principle of non-proliferation.
Tehran claims that it will punish Iran for a fully monitored nuclear program, while allowing Israel to remain outside the NPT without any consequences, undermining Europe’s commitment to the global non-proliferation regime.
The threat that creates a snapback mechanism by the bloc, particularly in a strong alignment with US policy, raises Tehran question the independence and integrity of Europe as a diplomatic actor.
Iran weighs exit from NPT
The latest developments have prompted serious debate among Iranian legislative bodies. In Iran’s parliament, the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has drafted a law requiring the government to withdraw from the NPT if the snapback mechanism is activated. A spokesperson for the committee confirmed that the majority support the draft and argued that Iran cannot be bound by the treaty if it uses coercion to unilaterally impose sanctions.
This spread of disillusionment is shared by top security figures in Iran. For example, on July 27, IRGC Intelligence Director Majid Khademi said during his remarks at a ceremony in Tehran that if European forces proceed with hostile actions, if measures are ready, the main loser will be the Europeans themselves.”