Iran faces ‘snapback’ of sanctions over nuclear program. Here’s what that means
By Stephanie Liechtenstein, Associated Press
Vienna (AP) – France, Great Britain and Germany have threatened to trigger the “Snapback mechanism” which automatically repimacies all the United Nations sanctions against Iran on its nuclear program, claiming that Iran had voluntarily left their 2015 nuclear agreement that raised them.
The European countries, known as E3, offered Iran a delay of the snapback during the talks in July in exchange for three conditions for Iran: resume negotiations with the United States about its nuclear program, allowing nuclear inspectors of the United Nations to access its nuclear sites and taking into account the more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
Tehran, who now enriches uranium at levels close to the quality of weapons, rejected this proposal.
The United States and Iran have attempted to conclude a new nuclear agreement earlier this year, but these talks have not resumed since the 12-day Israeli bombing of Iranian nuclear and military sites and the American bombardment on June 22.
How Snapback works
Under the joint complete action plan reached between the global powers and Iran in 2015, Iran agreed to limit the enrichment of uranium to the levels necessary for civil nuclear energy in exchange for raised economic sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been responsible for monitoring the Iranian nuclear program.
The objective of the SNAPBACK mechanism is to quickly repimanese all preliminary sanctions without being opposed to the members of the UN Security Council, including permanent members of Russia and China.
The process begins when one or more participants in the nuclear agreement informs the UN Secretary General and the President of the Security Council about “the significant non-performance of commitments” of Iran.
Which triggers a 30 -day window in which a new resolution to continue the sanctions must be adopted. Since this is unlikely, like the United States, Great Britain and France would veto such a resolution, all the UN sanctions “return automatically”. At this point, no other vote is necessary and no member of the Security Council can block the reimposition.
The Snapback mechanism expires in October
Europeans agreed with the United States earlier this year to set an end of August to trigger the Snapback mechanism if no agreement is concluded with Iran.
The United States itself cannot activate the Snapback since US President Donald Trump removed the United States from the nuclear agreement in 2018.
Two factors stimulate the approaching deadline.
First, the power to automatically resume the sanctions expires on October 18. After that, sanctions efforts could face Vetos from China and Russia, which have provided Iran in the past.
Second, Europeans want to trigger the Snapback mechanism under the chairmanship of the South Korea Security Council in September, before Russia took over in October. Although Russia cannot oppose its veto to the reimpection of sanctions under the mechanism, diplomats say that Moscow could use procedural delay tactics until the expiration of nuclear agreement.
The position of the E3
European nations claim that Iran has “voluntarily and publicly deceased” the commitments of the nuclear agreement.
In May, the AIEA said that Iran had raised 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity. If it is 90%enriched, it would be enough to make nine nuclear weapons, according to a criterion of the IAEA, although a weapon would require another expertise, such as a detonation device.
The IAEA also considered that on May 17, the global stock of uranium enriched with Iran was 9,247.6 kilograms (20,387.4 pounds).
The amounts far exceed the limits set out in the nuclear agreement, under which Iran was authorized to enrich uranium up to 3.67% and to maintain a 300 kilograms uranium stock.
In addition, in 2022, Iran withdrew most of the surveillance equipment, including the AIAA cameras. A year later, Iran prohibited some of the agency’s most experienced inspectors.
Iran’s position
Iran has long argued that its nuclear program only serves peaceful ends. Tehran also argues that he has the right to abandon the limits of the nuclear agreement because Washington withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reproduced his own sanctions.
Before 2019, when Iran gradually began to break the limits of the agreement, the IAEA confirmed that Tehran had joined all commitments.
Iran argues that there is no legal basis for Europeans to reimpose UN sanctions via Snapback, saying that countries have not respected the agreement after the American exit.
Tehran has also threatened to withdraw from the world treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons if Snapback is triggered. By ratifying the TNP in 1970, Iran is committed not to develop nuclear weapons.
Other options
Once the Snapback mechanism has been triggered, there remains a thin chance for a diplomatic solution, said Ali Vaez, Iranian project director of the International Crisis Group.
If the West and Iran reached a diplomatic agreement in the 30-day window, a resolution could be introduced to postpone the date of expiration of the mechanism on October 18, he said.
“Timing is, in a sense, auspicious because it overlaps the high-level annual week of the United Nations General Assembly, which will bring to the high-level leaders of New York who could snuggle up on the means to manage,” he said.
But he added that the snapback problem is likely to resurface unless Washington and Tehran can conclude a new nuclear agreement.
The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage of the New York Corporation Carnegie and the Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
