Media: European trio mulls reimposing sanctions on Iran despite IAEA deal

The United Kingdom, Germany, and France — the so-called “European trio” — are preparing to trigger the snapback mechanism to reinstate UN Security Council sanctions on Iran, despite Tehran’s recent agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resume cooperation.

According to The Wall Street Journal correspondent Laurence Norman, who cited diplomatic sources in a post on X, European governments remain sceptical that the deal will change their course of action.

Here’s my latest on the Iran-IAEA “agreement.” https://t.co/bxG9Qq4EEQ -1-

— laurence norman (@laurnorman) September 10, 2025

“The European view is that Tuesday’s agreement is very UNLIKELY to shift the plans on SnapBack,” Norman wrote. “They see the lack of clear timelines and deadlines as a major problem — effectively guaranteeing nothing. The Europeans see the absence of clear timelines and deadlines as a major problem — effectively guaranteeing nothing. Not only is there no deadline per diplomats on when inspectors get back to the damaged nuclear sites, there is no deadline or timeline on Iran’s submitting of the special reports on Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and stockpile. It’s also not clear IAEA will get access to stockpile.”

Citing a source, Norman added that “it’s not clear that the agreement commits Iran to anything significant.”

The latest European deliberations come against the backdrop of a new deal between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On September 9, Tehran and the UN watchdog announced an agreement to resume inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities, including sites damaged in earlier U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The arrangement was negotiated in Cairo between IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. While hailed as a step toward restoring oversight suspended after the June attacks, the accord remains vague: no timelines have been announced, and diplomats stress that the key details are still undisclosed.

Iran has also cautioned that the deal could collapse should sanctions be reimposed, raising doubts over its durability amid looming European preparations for the snapback mechanism.

By Vugar Khalilov