As the clock struck midnight GMT on September 28, 2025, a decade-old compromise between Iran and the West unraveled with a thud. The United Nations’ sweeping economic and military sanctions—once suspended under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—came crashing back into force. Triggered by Britain, France, and Germany, the so-called "snapback" mechanism marked a dramatic escalation in the long-running standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, sending shockwaves through diplomatic circles and deepening the economic woes already gripping the nation.
The move, announced jointly by the foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany, came after months of mounting frustration. The European powers, known collectively as the E3, accused Tehran of "continued nuclear escalation" and a lack of cooperation with international inspectors. "Given that Iran repeatedly breached these commitments, the E3 had no choice but to trigger the snapback procedure, at the end of which those resolutions were brought back into force," they declared, as reported by BBC. Yet, even as the sanctions took effect, the E3 insisted, "The reimposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy."
For Iran, the timing couldn’t have been worse. The country’s economy, already battered by years of US sanctions, was reeling from a summer of crisis: water and power shortages, soaring inflation, and the aftermath of a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw US airstrikes damage key nuclear facilities, including Fordow. According to The New York Times, the government faced "staggering budget deficits and a devalued currency," with the rial dropping 4 percent on the black market the day the sanctions were reimposed. Ordinary Iranians, already grappling with over 40 percent inflation and rising unemployment, braced for even harder times ahead.
The snapback sanctions are extensive, reinstating measures first imposed between 2006 and 2010 under six Security Council resolutions. They include arms embargoes, travel bans, financial restrictions, prohibitions on nuclear- and missile-related activities, and asset freezes on designated individuals and entities. As outlined by Deutsche Welle, Resolution 1929 is particularly damaging, restricting shipping insurance and financial services essential for Iran’s oil exports, while banking restrictions from Resolutions 1737, 174, and 1803 complicate oil sales and payments. The impact is expected to "raise trade finance costs, shipping insurance premiums and currency volatility," further undermining Iran's ability to export crude, attract investment, and finance its energy sector.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Washington, left little doubt about the message intended: "The decision to restore these restrictions sends a clear message: The world will not acquiesce to threats and half measures — and Tehran will be held to account." The sanctions now authorize countries to stop and inspect cargo traveling from Iran by air and sea, including oil tankers, a move that could further disrupt the country's vital energy exports.
The immediate trigger for the snapback was Iran’s refusal to comply with three key European demands: granting immediate access to international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); providing the location of a 400-kilogram stockpile of highly enriched uranium; and entering direct nuclear negotiations with the United States. After Israeli and US strikes in June, Iran suspended IAEA inspections, only resuming them under tightly controlled conditions set by Tehran. European diplomats, as cited by CNN, found these assurances "too vague to be of reassurance."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a moderate, struck a defiant tone in the face of mounting pressure. "They want to topple us," he told reporters in New York, dismissing the new sanctions as "unjust and illegal." In a pointed rebuke to Western demands, Pezeshkian rejected a US proposal to hand over all enriched uranium in exchange for a three-month exemption from sanctions, saying, "Why would we put ourselves in such a trap and have a noose around our neck each month?" He insisted Iran had "no intention of developing nuclear weapons," and expressed surprise that the world did not believe it. "We will not accept this," he said, making clear that Tehran would not simply acquiesce to American and European pressure.
Even as hard-liners in Iran called for the country to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)—a move that would remove the last international guardrails on its nuclear program—Pezeshkian dismissed the idea. "Iran has no intention to leave the NPT as a reaction to the revival of the UN sanctions," he assured journalists, according to Reuters. Instead, Iran recalled its ambassadors from Paris, Berlin, and London for consultations, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the UN Security Council, denouncing the snapback as "simply a stark abuse of process."
For their part, Russia and China—historical allies of Iran and permanent members of the Security Council—have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the snapback sanctions. Both countries attempted to delay the deadline by six months, but their measure was defeated. Nevertheless, China remains the main buyer of Iranian oil, often at a steep discount, and is expected to continue purchasing, albeit with new hurdles. "China would be likely to use them as leverage to extract even more of a discount, possibly by raising concerns about Iranian oil tankers being intercepted and seized in the open seas," a senior Iranian oil official told The New York Times. Russia, meanwhile, maintains close military ties with Iran, including the purchase of drones for use in Ukraine.
The return of UN sanctions will hit not only Iran’s government but also its private sector. Mehdi Bostanchi, head of Iran’s Council of Industries, warned that "businesses and industries are bracing for a decline in demand and expect more hurdles in procuring goods from abroad and more restrictions on insurance, banking and shipping." The greatest pressure, he said, "will be on small and medium-size enterprises, which account for over 90 percent of Iran’s industrial units and about half of industrial employment."
Despite the dire outlook, some Iranian officials have sought to downplay the impact, arguing that the country has already learned to cope with sanctions and will find ways to adapt. Others, like Mahdi Mohammadi, a conservative adviser to Parliament, have called for Iran to "become strong to a level that erases the idea of Iran surrendering to the enemy." Still, the sense of crisis is palpable. As one European diplomat told CNN, "Snapback essentially sees Europe moving towards the US position on Iran."
With diplomacy stalled and economic pain mounting, the reimposition of UN sanctions marks a pivotal moment in Iran’s long confrontation with the West. Whether it will bring Tehran back to the negotiating table or push it further away remains an open—and deeply consequential—question for the region and the world.
