Europeans Warn Iran Has Not Taken Steps to Avert U.N. 'Snapback' of Sanctions

European and German officials warned Wednesday that Iran has not taken the actions necessary to halt the automatic reimposition of United Nations sanctions tied to its nuclear program, saying Tehran must show concrete cooperation with the U.N. watchdog to avert the so-called "snapback."

The statement followed a call that included representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom and the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. "The window for finding a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear issue is closing really fast," Kallas said, urging Iran to "show credible steps towards addressing the demands of France, (the) U.K. and Germany," and to permit inspections of all nuclear sites without delay.

The German Foreign Ministry said on the social platform X that "Iran has yet to take the reasonable and precise actions necessary to" stop the reimposition of U.N. sanctions. Iran had no immediate comment on the call, though Tehran had earlier acknowledged that the discussion would take place.

Diplomats who negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal designed the snapback mechanism to be effectively veto-proof at the U.N. Security Council. If the Security Council does not agree to stop the process, the snapback will take effect at the end of September. The measures would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other penalties.

Earlier this year Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency reached a deal mediated by Egypt to give the U.N. watchdog access to all Iranian nuclear sites and for Tehran to report on the whereabouts of all its nuclear material. It remained unclear when Iran would submit that report or how fully it would cooperate with inspections, European officials said.

Concerns about the status of Iran’s nuclear stockpile grew after a flare-up in June. A 12-day war launched by Israel against Iran in June, during which both Israeli and U.S. strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites, cast further uncertainty over Tehran’s inventories of uranium enriched to near–weapons-grade levels, officials said.

European officials and diplomats have said using the snapback mechanism would likely heighten tensions between Iran and Western countries at a moment the Middle East remains strained by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Analysts and diplomats noted that the snapback move would come while Israel has intensified operations in Gaza, including a ground offensive targeting Gaza City.

The European statements reflect mounting impatience among western powers that want clear, verifiable steps by Tehran to restore monitoring and transparency before the U.N. deadline. Failure to produce such steps would trigger an automatic return of the U.N. measures and further isolate Iran internationally, adding fresh pressure to an economy already under strain.

Associated Press writers Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.