Shafaq News – New York

French President Emmanuel Macron conveyed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the E3 triggered the UN snapback mechanism to restore sanctions on Iran during their meeting at the General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Macron noted that a deal was still within reach but warned that “only hours are left,” pointing to three non-negotiable demands: full access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors inside Iran, transparency regarding enriched uranium stockpiles, and the immediate resumption of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Pezeshkian dismissed the decision, warning that reinstating UN sanctions would strip dialogue of meaning. In talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in New York, he argued that the standoff stems from Western non-compliance and is fueled by misunderstanding as well as Israeli “propaganda.”

The snapback mechanism, established under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, allows for the automatic reinstatement of international sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is the first time European powers have triggered the mechanism. In 2020, the United States sought to invoke snapback sanctions after withdrawing from the JCPOA two years earlier, but the move was rejected by the Security Council because Washington was no longer a party to the accord.