On the evening of September 27, 2025, a decade after broad United Nations sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program were lifted, the world watched as the embargoes snapped back into place. The move, triggered by Britain, France, and Germany—the so-called E3—came after months of mounting tension over Iran’s nuclear activities and the unraveling of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal once hailed as a triumph of international diplomacy.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, standing before the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York just days earlier, struck a measured tone. Addressing the international community on September 24, Pezeshkian declared, “We have no intention of leaving the NPT,” as reported by Bloomberg. His words were a clear signal: despite the threat of renewed sanctions and the growing clamor from hardliners at home, Tehran would remain a participant in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The statement marked a notable shift from the more combative rhetoric seen in recent months, when Iranian negotiators had openly considered abandoning the treaty.
The snapback mechanism, detailed by AFP, is a unique clause embedded in the JCPOA and enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. It allows any party to the deal to unilaterally trigger the reimposition of all UN sanctions if they believe another party has committed a flagrant breach. On August 28, 2025, the E3 invoked this mechanism, citing Iran’s uranium stockpile—now more than 40 times the limit set by the 2015 agreement—and other violations as justification.
The 30-day countdown culminated on Saturday, September 27, at 8 p.m. EDT, as the previously lifted sanctions automatically took effect. These include global embargoes on ballistic missile technology, arms, nuclear equipment, and banking restrictions. In practical terms, Iran faces renewed travel bans and asset freezes on dozens of individuals and entities, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities, and a prohibition on acquiring interests in any commercial activity involving nuclear materials abroad. All countries are now authorized to seize and dispose of any items banned under the sanctions regime.
The reimposed sanctions represent a major blow to Iran’s already embattled economy. According to Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group’s Iran project director, speaking to AFP, the snapback “will add to the burden of Iran’s economy, which already is in a difficult position.” The Iranian rial responded swiftly, plunging to a record low of 1,123,000 per U.S. dollar on Saturday—down from about 1,085,000 the day before, as reported by Bon-bast.com and other foreign exchange websites.
Yet, President Pezeshkian was quick to downplay the gravity of the moment. “It is not like the sky is falling,” he told reporters before departing New York, according to Reuters. His words were echoed by a sense of weary resolve in Tehran, even as the government recalled its ambassadors to Britain, France, and Germany for consultations and warned of a “harsh response.”
The return of sanctions follows a fraught period in the region’s geopolitics. The JCPOA, agreed in 2015 by Iran, the E3, the United States, Russia, and China, was intended to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for economic relief. But the deal has been on life support since 2018, when then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions. In response, Iran gradually breached its commitments, ramping up uranium enrichment and restricting international inspections.
The situation reached a new crisis point after a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025, which also saw the U.S. bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. The war not only derailed ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington but also prompted Iran to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council formalized the halt after Britain, France, and Germany took steps that Iran deemed unfounded, further fueling suspicion and distrust.
Despite the diplomatic freeze, there were glimmers of engagement. Earlier this month, Iran reached a new cooperation deal with the IAEA, and by September 26, inspectors from the Vienna-based UN body had resumed their work in the country. European powers even offered to delay the return of sanctions for up to six months—provided Iran restored full access for nuclear inspectors, addressed Western concerns over its enriched uranium stockpile, and reengaged in talks with the United States. Iran, for its part, insisted it had put forward multiple proposals to keep the window for diplomacy open.
“In past days and weeks, Iran has put forward multiple proposals to keep the window for diplomacy open. The E3 has failed to reciprocate while the U.S. has doubled down on its dictates,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X, as reported by Reuters. Nevertheless, the E3 pressed forward, arguing they had “unambiguous legal grounds” to trigger snapback and accusing Tehran of failing to respect the accord.
Not everyone in the international community agreed with the move. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the United Nations on Saturday, called the sanctions reimposition “unlawful, and it cannot be implemented.” He warned Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that acknowledging the return of sanctions would be “a major mistake.” China and Russia, both allies of Tehran, are expected to resist full enforcement of the sanctions, potentially blunting their impact.
Inside Iran, the debate over the country’s nuclear policy is far from settled. On Sunday, September 28, Iran’s Parliament was scheduled to consider a letter urging a change in the state’s policy on nuclear weapons—a sign of mounting pressure from lawmakers to revisit official positions. Still, Pezeshkian maintained that Iran’s decision to remain in the NPT “cannot be changed by other countries,” a pointed response to speculation about outside influence from Beijing and Moscow.
Experts remain divided on the likely effectiveness of the snapback measures. Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association told AFP that “the U.N. measures will have little economic impact, given the breadth of U.S. and EU sanctions already in place against Iran.” However, she cautioned that reinstating the sanctions “without a negotiating process in place risks Iran and the United States getting caught in an escalatory tit-for-tat.”
As the dust settles, the reimposition of UN sanctions marks another chapter in the long-running standoff between Iran and the West. The road ahead is uncertain, with diplomacy hanging by a thread and regional tensions simmering just below the surface. For now, Tehran’s leaders seem determined to project calm—even as the weight of renewed isolation presses ever heavier on the country’s economy and its people.
