Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

UK, France and Germany agree to reject US demand for Iran snapback sanctions

UK, France and Germany agree to reject US demand for Iran snapback sanctions

European ‘E3’ ministers reach consensus during Kent meeting hosted by UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab

Foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany have agreed to hold out against US demands to snapback all UN sanctions on Iran, despite intensified pressure from the US specifically on the UK government to fall into line.

The US was left isolated at the UN security council last month when it said it wished to reimpose snapback sanctions, with the European nations – known collectively as the E3 – arguing that the US was no longer a participant in the deal and so unable to act unilaterally.

The US, which left the deal in 2018, described the E3 position as crackers and pandering to terrorists. A further showdown on the issue at the UN is expected this month.

The UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab hosted a meeting in Chevening in Kent with his German and French counterparts Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Germany and France, co-operating with the UK over Iran despite the Brexit backdrop, acknowledge there are special UK sensitivities about defying its closest partner the US on such a critical security issue. The European diplomats recognise that the UK wants a free trade deal with the US, and defying the US on snapback may infuriate Donald Trump.


German foreign minister Heiko Maas, Britain’s foreign secretary Dominic Raab and French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian pose for a photograph at Chevening House, Sevenoaks.


The US also wants the E3 to vote at the UN security council against the automatic lifting of the ban on the export of conventional weapons to Iran, but the E3 feel frustrated the US has not yet shown a willingness to negotiate a compromise on the ban’s extent.

A maximalist US stance on the ban will only ensure no ban extension is passed since Russia and Germany will use their veto at the security council, the E3 believes. The ban is supposed to lift automatically in October in line with the five year timetable set out by the nuclear deal in 2015.
Advertisement

Earlier this week Raab told MPs that the legal advice was reasonably clear that the US had excluded itself from imposing snapback sanctions by leaving the deal in 2018. In a tweet after the Chevening meeting Raab said “we are committed to holding Iran to account”.

The German foreign office placed a different emphasis saying they “reject the US snapback attempt and remain committed to preserving the nuclear agreement, but Iran urgently needs to return to full compliance”.

The Iranian foreign ministry has not officially confirmed reports that the country’s foreign minister Javad Zarif, under sanctions from the US, will tour Europe next week ahead of the further UN showdown.

Iran’s uranium stockpile is currently ten times over the limit set in the deal, a leaked UN watchdog report shows, but Iran says it is entitled to breach its obligations due to the failure of the EU to defy the US over improving trade with Iran.

Zarif stresses Iran is fully in compliance with the system of inspections of its nuclear sites. Iran resolved differences with the UN weapons watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency over its inspectors accessing two sites last month.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×