DUBAI, Sept 28 : The United Nations has reimposed sanctions on Iran using the “snapback” provision of the 2015 nuclear deal, a move that further isolates Tehran as its economy teeters, the Associated Press reported.
According to AP, the sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, block arms sales, and punish any work on the country’s ballistic missile program. The three European parties to the nuclear deal — France, Germany, and the UK — triggered the snapback mechanism 30 days ago after Iran blocked inspectors from its nuclear sites and refused to account for its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran’s currency has collapsed to record lows, driving up food costs and leaving ordinary people struggling to buy basic goods.
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Activists told AP repression is intensifying, with executions this year surpassing totals from previous decades. “For as long as I can remember, we’ve been struggling with economic hardship, and every year it’s worse,” said Sina, a father of a 12-year-old, speaking to AP on condition that only his first name be used.
AP said Iran further reduced cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after the June conflict with Israel, during which U.S. forces struck nuclear facilities. Tehran still holds uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — near weapons-grade — enough to make several bombs if it chose to move toward weaponization.
Russia’s foreign minister called the snapback a “trap,” but AP noted the mechanism is designed so that no single Security Council member can veto it. The European nations said they tried to avoid this step but had “no choice.”
Iran maintains the action is illegitimate because the U.S. withdrew from the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the European move as “decisive global leadership” and said diplomacy remains open if Tehran agrees to direct talks. Analysts quoted by AP warned that with inspections halted, the risk of miscalculation rises, and the U.S. or Israel could use the lack of oversight as justification for new strikes.
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