Punishing Iran with 'Snapback' Is Insane

Triggering snapback gives Iran no incentive to cooperate.

France, Germany, and Britain are threatening to use the “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran:

“We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” the ministers said in the letter, which was obtained by the Financial Times.

European governments were useless when it came to protecting the original nuclear deal, and now they seem determined to make things even worse with this threat. Iran has said that it could pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if these governments try to reimpose UN sanctions. Even if Iran doesn’t go that far, using the snapback mechanism would still make it much harder to find a diplomatic solution.

Whenever Iran has faced more sanctions, its government has responded by expanding its nuclear program. Triggering snapback gives Iran no incentive to cooperate. It is an invitation to more resistance. Punishing Iran with snapback is insane.