UNITED NATIONS/TEHRAN
The United Nations has reimposed “snapback” sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, renewing global pressure on Tehran amid heightened tensions across the Middle East following the Israel-Hamas conflict and Israel’s strikes on Iran earlier this year.
The sanctions, which took effect on Sunday, freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals, and penalise the development of ballistic missiles. The move followed declarations by France, Germany, and the UK on August 28 that Iran was violating the 2015 nuclear deal. Despite a diplomatic push by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly, the effort failed. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed talks with the US as a “sheer dead end.”
Russia and China opposed the decision, but the snapback mechanism is veto-proof. The sanctions’ reimposition came just weeks before their scheduled expiry on October 18. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, but enrichment levels have reached near-weapons grade, raising concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran holds nearly 10,000 kilograms of enriched uranium, including 440 kilograms at 60% purity—enough for multiple nuclear weapons if weaponisation is pursued.
US and Israeli strikes earlier this year heavily damaged Iran’s Natanz and Fordo enrichment sites, though underground facilities remain partly operational. Diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran have been strained since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, and America’s 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear accord. The renewed sanctions are expected to worsen Iran’s struggling economy while further narrowing diplomatic channels.
