Iran calls US three-month sanctions reprieve “unacceptable”

The United States has agreed to grant Iran a three-month reprieve before reinstating UN Security Council sanctions, contingent on Tehran handing over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated.

“[The US] wants us to give them all our enriched uranium, and in return they give us three months, which is unacceptable in any case,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian media.

He highlighted a fundamental disagreement with the US regarding the snapback mechanism, which involves the reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran. “We have reached an agreement with the European parties, but the American point of view is different... We have not reached an understanding on the snapback mechanism,” he clarified. Pezeshkian added that the US is likely to push for the return of sanctions within a few months.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, is set to expire on October 18, 2025. 

On September 26, the UN Security Council rejected a resolution proposed by Russia and China to extend the deal’s term, with four countries voting in favour, nine against, and two abstaining. This resolution represented the last opportunity to prevent the restoration of international sanctions initiated by the European participants of the nuclear deal — the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

The JCPOA, signed in Vienna in the summer of 2015 and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in July 2015, commits Iran to limit its nuclear program and renounce nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

In 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement and imposed additional sanctions on Tehran. Although Iran initially continued to comply with its obligations for another year, it announced in 2019 that it was suspending its commitments.

By Tamilla Hasanova