The United Nations sanctions that had been lifted 10 years ago with the signing of the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) were reinstated at 3:30 a.m. Tehran time, on Sunday, September 28.
The JCPOA, signed in 2015, was intended to limit Iran’s regime’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, and it was agreed upon between Tehran, the United States, China, Russia, and three European countries.
The “snapback” mechanism, which has now reinstated all lifted sanctions after 10 years, was part of this agreement.
In this regard Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran declared: “The six UNSC resolutions on the clerical regime’s nuclear program have been reinstated after a 10-year suspension. Appeasement was no longer an option. These resolutions are essential to prevent the religious dictatorship from acquiring the bomb and must be enforced firmly.”
The six UNSC resolutions on the clerical regime’s nuclear program have been reinstated after a 10-year suspension. Appeasement was no longer an option. These resolutions are essential to prevent the religious dictatorship from acquiring the bomb and must be enforced firmly.… pic.twitter.com/bEppo38pYY
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) September 27, 2025
The United Kingdom, France, and Germany, the European parties to the JCPOA, had previously said that Iran’s regime had violated the deal, which was signed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
This claim was based on reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which stated that Iran’s nuclear program had advanced beyond its civilian needs.
On August 28, the UK, France, and Germany gave Iran’s regime a 30-day deadline to reach a clear agreement and prove compliance with the JCPOA to prevent the reactivation of the snapback. Despite the opportunity, Tehran took no effective steps to stop the return of sanctions.
In a statement following the implementation of the snapback, the three European countries emphasized that this action “focuses on the rapid reinstatement of restrictions imposed by UN resolutions.”
In their statement, the three European countries stressed that the original goal of negotiations with Iran in 2013 and 2015 was to prevent Tehran from “acquiring, developing, or producing nuclear weapons,” and that “given Iran’s repeated violations of these commitments,” they had reactivated the snapback mechanism.
The foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany said they welcomed the reinstatement of UN resolutions through the snapback process and called on Iran and all countries to fully comply with these resolutions.
The three European countries emphasized that these resolutions are not new but rather a set of sanctions and restrictive measures previously imposed by the UN Security Council over Iran’s nuclear proliferation activities. Due to Iran’s repeated violations, they were compelled to activate the snapback, making these resolutions enforceable again.
In recent days, Iranian regime officials have tried to downplay the impact of the snapback on the country’s situation; nevertheless, the return of sanctions caused the U.S. dollar exchange rate to jump above 1,120,000 rials in Iran’s free market on Saturday.
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s regime president, said just hours before the sanctions returned that it was unacceptable for Iran to be “paralyzed.”
On Saturday afternoon, after returning from the UN General Assembly meeting, he said, “We have great capabilities, and together we will find a way out of the problems.”
Referring to his and the regime’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi’s talks with European officials about the snapback, Pezeshkian said: “We reached apparent agreements with them, but after they talked with the U.S., they came up with various excuses.”
He claimed that the U.S. had demanded Iran “hand over all of its enriched uranium” in exchange for a three-month delay in sanctions—a proposal Pezeshkian said was “unacceptable” for the regime.
On Saturday night, Iran’s regime foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with state-run IRIB, admitted that the return of sanctions “has damages and consequences,” but accused the three European parties to the JCPOA of trying to turn the snapback into “a monster” to force Iran “to pay ransom and grant concessions.”
He also said that during negotiations to prevent the activation of this mechanism, all of Iran’s proposals were rejected by the other side.
After the 12-day war with Israel, during which the United States also targeted three key nuclear facilities in Iran, the regime suspended its cooperation with the IAEA.
Iran’s regime still holds stockpiles of uranium enriched up to 60%, but since the 12-day war, no accurate information has been released about their storage sites or status.
The Iranian regime’s foreign ministry also announced that its ambassadors to France, the UK, and Germany had been recalled to Tehran for “consultations.”
