IRGC paper threatens retaliation against US, EU if snapback sanctions return

Iran will retaliate with costly and damaging measures against any attempt by Europe to activate the snapback mechanism and reimpose UN sanctions, a hardline Iranian newspaper affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday.

In a scathing editorial, Javan daily criticized the threat of snapback — a mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that allows the return of UN sanctions — as a “European stick for blackmail” and warned of punitive and high-cost actions against the economies of the United States and Europe.

The editorial said such sanctions would be countered with restrictions in trade routes and geographies under Iran's control, adding that these areas would expand through alignment with other actors "frustrated by US and European policies.”

"The US and European economies should expect punishment and cost-imposing actions. The sanctions will be followed by bans and restrictions on their access to routes and geographies under Iranian control. These geographies, motivated by other actors frustrated with US and European policies, will expand into major commercial corridors," it said.

While Javan did not name locations directly, the paper implied that Iran could disrupt major trade corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz, where a significant portion of the world's oil passes, and possibly the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, through Tehran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, as has been seen since the militant group imposed a maritime blockade in the wake of the war in Gaza.

“Any new sanctions must be met with real costs,” the editorial said, adding that the current Iranian negotiating position is no longer based on “Westoxicated thinking” but on firm demands for compensation and full sanctions relief from the outset of any agreement.

The paper said that Iran would only allow meaningful negotiations if its rights to enrichment and the preservation of enriched uranium stocks are recognized, and if all material and immaterial damages from what it called “illegal and inhumane” sanctions are paid in full.

'Trump eyes Arab wealth, not Iran investment'

Amid the ongoing indirect US-Iran nuclear talks, the editorial targeted US President Donald Trump, Javan accusing him of having no intention or ability to invest in Iran, saying his only objective is to “loot the wealth of Arab countries” to patch up America’s struggling economy.

“Trump, who is chasing after the pockets of Arab states, has no capacity for investment in any country,” the editorial stated. “He only dreams of healing the crisis-hit American economy.”

The piece mocked Trump’s recent regional tour and his military posture, claiming that US aircraft carriers and advanced weaponry had underperformed in conflicts such as Yemen and South Asia.

It argued that despite Trump’s rhetoric, “the US military's threatening gestures lack economic backing and have led to humiliating failure against Iran and China,” adding that Washington’s strategy had shifted to diplomacy out of necessity.

The editorial dismissed recent remarks by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who said that the US would not tolerate even 1% uranium enrichment by Iran, as bluster intended to sway negotiations and distract from Washington’s weak hand.

“This time, Iran is not negotiating with illusions, but with demands. If the West wants a deal, it must stop threatening, start compensating, and lift sanctions from day one,” the editorial added.

On Monday, the European Union and the United Kingdom voiced deep concern over Iran’s expanding nuclear program and its continued imprisonment of foreign nationals, according to a joint statement issued after high-level talks.