We, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the E3), proceed to share the basic goal that Iran shall by no means search, purchase or develop a nuclear weapon. With this goal in thoughts, our nations agreed first the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) in 2013 and subsequently the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) in 2015, along with the United States, Russia and China. And it is because of Iran’s persistent and vital non-performance of its JCPoA commitments that we triggered the snapback mechanism on 28 August 2025.
We welcome the re-instatement since 20:00 EDT (00:00 GMT) on 27 September 2025 of Resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008), and 1929 (2010) after completion of the snapback course of as offered for in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. We urge Iran and all states to abide totally by these resolutions.
These resolutions will not be new: they comprise a set of sanctions and different restrictive measures that had been beforehand imposed by the UN Security Council and relate to Iran’s proliferation actions. Those measures had been lifted by the Council within the context of the JCPoA, at a time when Iran had dedicated to making sure its nuclear programme was completely peaceable. Given that Iran repeatedly breached these commitments, the E3 had no alternative however to set off the snapback process, on the finish of which these resolutions had been introduced again into drive.
Since 2019, Iran has exceeded all limits on its nuclear programme that it had freely dedicated to beneath the JCPoA. According to the IAEA’s report of 4 September 2025, Iran holds a amount of enriched uranium which is 48 instances the JCPoA restrict. Today, Iran’s stockpile is completely outdoors of IAEA monitoring. This consists of 10 ‘Significant Quantities’ of High Enriched Uranium (HEU) – 10 instances the approximate quantity of nuclear materials for which the opportunity of manufacturing a nuclear explosive system can’t be excluded. Iran has no credible civilian justification in any way for its HEU stockpile. No different nation with no nuclear weapons programme enriches uranium to such ranges and at this scale.
Despite these long-standing violations, the E3 have repeatedly made each effort to keep away from triggering snapback, carry Iran again into compliance and attain a sturdy and complete diplomatic decision. We triggered the JCPoA’s dispute decision mechanism in January 2020 as acknowledged by the JCPoA coordinator. In 2020 and 2021 we engaged in months of talks with the intention of totally restoring the JCPoA and returning the United States to the deal. Instead, Iran selected to reject two affords placed on the desk by the JCPoA coordinator in 2022 and to additional broaden its nuclear actions in clear breach of its JCPoA commitments.
In July 2025, we supplied Iran a restricted, one-time snapback extension offered that Iran agreed to renew direct and unconditional negotiations with the United States, return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations, and tackle its excessive enriched uranium stockpile. These measures had been honest and achievable. Iran didn’t have interaction severely with this supply.
On 28 August, in view of Iran’s continued nuclear escalation, France, Germany and the United Kingdom initiated the “snapback” mechanism as a final resort, in accordance with paragraph 11 of Security Council Resolution 2231. This started a 30-day course of designed to offer Iran a chance to deal with considerations over its nuclear programme. Our snapback extension supply remained on the desk throughout that interval.
Regrettably, Iran didn’t take the mandatory actions to deal with our considerations, nor to satisfy our asks on extension, regardless of intensive dialogue, together with throughout United Nations High-Level Week. In specific, Iran has not authorised IAEA inspectors to regain entry to Iran’s nuclear websites, nor has it produced and transmitted to the IAEA a report accounting for its stockpile of high-enriched uranium.
On 19 September, in accordance with UNSCR 2231, the Security Council voted on a decision that may have maintained sanctions-lifting on Iran. The consequence of the vote was an unambiguous no. This resolution despatched a transparent sign that every one states should abide by their worldwide commitments and obligations relating to nuclear non-proliferation.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom are actually focusing, as a matter of urgency, on the swift reintroduction of restrictions reapplied by these resolutions, in accordance with our obligations as UN member states. We urge all UN member states to implement these sanctions.
Our nations will proceed to pursue diplomatic routes and negotiations. The reimposition of UN sanctions will not be the top of diplomacy. We urge Iran to chorus from any escalatory motion and to return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations. The E3 will proceed to work with all events in direction of a brand new diplomatic resolution to make sure Iran by no means will get a nuclear weapon.
