US, UK ratchet up pressure on Iran as return of UN sanctions nears

Six flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran with Tehran's Milad Tower in the background
Six flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran with Tehran's Milad Tower in the background

The United States on Wednesday called on the United Nations Security Council to confront Iran over its nuclear program, hours after Britain suggested it could trigger a return of UN sanctions if Tehran does not curb its uranium enrichment.

"Iran continues to flagrantly defy the Security Council, violate its IAEA safeguards obligations, and ignore the clear and consistent concerns of both the Council and the international community," the US mission to the United Nations said in a statement.

"The Council must be clear and united in addressing and condemning this brazen behavior," the statement added, recalling the so-called maximum pressure strategy advanced by the administration of President Donald Trump as the most effective way to stop Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed the Security Council meeting as "without technical or legal justification," insisting its nuclear activities are peaceful.

UN sanctions coming back?

Earlier in the day, a UK ambassador to the UN said London could trigger a so-called snapback mechanism to restore United Nations sanctions on Iran if Tehran does not curb its uranium enrichment.

"We will take any diplomatic measures to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, and that includes the use of snapback if needed," UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN James Kariuki told reporters ahead of the closed-door meeting on Iran.

Six UN Security Council members—France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, Britain, and the US—called for the urgent meeting to discuss Iran's non-compliance with IAEA requests.

Kariuki said the meeting was called due to serious concerns over a recent International Atomic Energy Agency report which found Iran had accumulated 275 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity.

"That’s way beyond anything needed for civilian use, and no other non-nuclear state has anything like that amount," he said.

He added that London welcomed overtures by US President Donald Trump to Tehran on renewed talks, saying, "We would encourage Iran to engage seriously. We would like diplomacy to work, so we're going to give it our best shot."

Beijing pushes for diplomacy

China, another permanent member of the Security Council, suggested before the closed-door meeting that pressuring Iran further may not be helpful.

Applying maximum pressure on a particular country will not yield the desired outcome," Beijing's UN envoy Fu Cong said.

"We should use the limited time left until the deadline in October to reach a new and sustainable agreement, because that is the best solution," he added, referring to the date when the UN's sanctions relief agreed as part of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran expires.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Britain, Germany, France, the US, Russia, and China, trading sanctions relief for nuclear program curbs.

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Donald Trump, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments.

Britain, France, and Germany have informed the UN Security Council of their readiness to trigger a snapback of international sanctions to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons, a measure they will lose the ability to enact on October 18th.