The UK, alongside France and Germany, will move to revive UN-backed sanctions on Iran over fears it is developing nuclear weapons.
The three European powers, known collectively as the E3, plan to impose sweeping sanctions after efforts to restart diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme stalled.
Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched uranium to levels exceeding that required for civil nuclear power, in breach of a deal agreed with western nations in 2015.
The E3 plans to reimpose a series of sanctions, made by UN resolution, which were suspended when the 2015 agreement was made.
The three countries this week wrote to US secretary of state Marco Rubio outlining their intent, and on Thursday afternoon notified the UN.
A 30-day period now begins before the sanctions are implemented, in which the UK, France and Germany hope talks can take place and Iran will agree to step back its nuclear ambitions.
The sanctions are like to trigger a harsh reaction from Tehran, where relations with the West are already strained following Israel’s 12-day war with the country earlier this year.
During that war, the Israelis targeted Iran’s largest nuclear sites, after claiming Tehran was close to developing nuclear weapons.
Nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have returned to Iran following the conflict, but are facing restrictions on their movements.
A UK Government official said the E3 was taking steps to revive sanctions for three reasons.
These include that:
– Iran is in “significant non-compliance” with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.
– Iran is the “only non-nuclear weapon state producing highly-enriched uranium”, with a stockpile over 400kg – the definition of the approximate amount of material needed to make nuclear weapons.
– There has not been “sufficient response on the Iranian side to reach an agreement” about scaling back its nuclear programme, despite E3 nations “making every effort to resolve this diplomatically, bending over backwards to do so”.
During the 30-day process ahead of the sanctions coming into force, the UK, Germany and France now plan to kickstart negotiations with Iran.
The possibility of a six-month extension – offering Iran reprieve from the sanctions – “still remains” the Government official added.
