Britain, France and Germany began a 30-day process on Thursday to restore UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, according to reports from France 24 and Reuters. In a joint letter to the UN Security Council, the three European nations said they decided to act before losing their ability to restore sanctions against Tehran in mid-October – sanctions that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
According to analysts, this is a move that will likely trigger tensions two months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran. Britain, France and Germany have held several rounds of talks with Iran since Israel and the United States struck its nuclear facilities in mid-June, but concluded that Tuesday’s talks in Geneva yielded no results.
The three European powers hope Iran will commit by the end of September regarding its nuclear program, so they won’t have to restore the sanctions. Iran has previously warned of a “harsh response” if sanctions are reinstated.
