Israel says UN sanctions are back to stop nuclear Iran

Sanctions were restored on Saturday under the snapback mechanism after talks between Tehran and European powers collapsed. Iranian officials told Reuters the measures will intensify isolation and fuel public anger, though concessions to the West could fracture the ruling elite.

“The clerical establishment is trapped between a rock and a hard place. The existence of the Islamic Republic is in peril,” one official said.

The revived sanctions -- including limits on oil, banking, finance, uranium enrichment, and a global arms embargo -- come amid fears of renewed Israeli strikes.

“The chances of war breaking out are significant,” former lawmaker Gholamali Jafarzade Imenabadi told Iranian media.

Iranian leaders say the sanctions will push them to harden their nuclear stance, but divisions have emerged inside the establishment. Some urge escalation, while others see “no war, no deal, and continued talks” as the least risky path, Reuters said.

Public frustration is rising under inflation estimated at 40–50%, with food, housing and utilities costs surging. “We already struggle to make ends meet. More sanctions mean more economic pressure. How are we going to survive?” said Shima, a 36-year-old teacher in Tehran.

Iran has relied on oil sales to China to avoid collapse, but officials warn the revived UN measures could threaten even that lifeline.

The United Nations has reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program and the European Union will follow, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on X.

“This must not be the end of diplomacy with Iran,” Kallas said. “A sustainable solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be achieved through negotiations.”

In a joint statement on Sunday, the so-called E3 foreign ministers said the snapback mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 had been triggered on August 28 and completed late on September 27, restoring six previous resolutions imposing international sanctions.

“We welcome the re-instatement since 20:00 EDT on 27 September of Resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929 after completion of the snapback process,” the ministers said. “We urge Iran and all states to abide fully by these resolutions.”

The measures include restrictions on arms transfers, missile development and proliferation-related activities. They had been lifted in 2015 when Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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  Tehran says no obligation to comply with revived UN resolutions

The E3 said Iran had “exceeded all limits on its nuclear program” since 2019 and was now holding enriched uranium “48 times the JCPOA limit.”

According to a September 4 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran possesses 10 “significant quantities” of highly enriched uranium (HEU) outside of monitoring, an amount that “cannot exclude the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device.”

“Iran has no credible civilian justification whatsoever for its HEU stockpile,” the statement said. “No other country without a nuclear weapons program enriches uranium to such levels and at this scale.”

The ministers said they had made repeated efforts to avoid snapback, including invoking the JCPOA dispute resolution mechanism in 2020 and participating in talks aimed at restoring the deal in 2020 and 2021.

In July 2025, the E3 offered Iran a one-time extension of snapback if Tehran agreed to resume unconditional talks with Washington, return to compliance with its safeguards obligations and address its HEU stockpile. “Iran did not engage seriously with this offer,” they said.

On September 19, the UNSecurity Council rejected a resolution to maintain sanctions relief for Iran. “The outcome of the vote was an unambiguous no,” the ministers said, adding that the decision “sent a clear signal that all states must abide by their international commitments.”

The statement stressed that “the reimposition of UN sanctions is not the end of diplomacy.” It urged Tehran “to refrain from any escalatory action and to return to compliance with its legally binding safeguards obligations.”

France, Germany and the UK said they remained committed to working with all parties “towards a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”

Israeli security officials told the outlet that Iran’s leadership appeared increasingly anxious following the move, raising the risk of “miscalculation” that could spark further confrontation.

The sanctions, which restore an arms embargo, bans on uranium enrichment and ballistic missile activity, asset freezes and travel restrictions, were reimposed after the Security Council rejected a Russia–China proposal to delay them.

The report added that the recent conflict with Iran bolstered international support for sanctions but left open the risk of renewed escalation.

“Iran is still a power,” a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying. “Khamenei could decide tomorrow morning to race for the bomb at any cost.”

Ynet said Israeli officials acknowledged that while the strikes disrupted Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, Tehran retains sufficient material to potentially produce a weapon within a year.

They warned the snapback sanctions, combined with Iran’s missile tests and rebuilding efforts, meant Israel must remain vigilant.

The snapback mechanism is serious and will bring losses, Iran Chamber of Commerce head Samad Hassanzadeh said on Sunday.

"The private sector has the ability to resist and can reduce the impact to a minimum,” he added.