On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei issued a stern warning against the potential reimposition of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) “snapback” sanctions, aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear development.
Speaking at a press conference, Baghaei stated, “The threat to use the snapback mechanism lacks legal and political basis and will be met with an appropriate and proportionate response from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to Reuters.
While Baghaei did not specify Iran’s potential retaliation, his remarks come as the October 18 deadline looms for enforcing the snapback mechanism under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA, marking its 10-year anniversary, was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions, though critics argue it has not effectively deterred Tehran’s progress.
Challenges in Enforcing JCPOA Sanctions
The JCPOA allows any signatory—originally the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia—to trigger snapback sanctions if Iran violates the agreement’s terms, reinstating sanctions across all 15 UNSC members.
However, the U.S., having withdrawn from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Donald Trump, was deemed ineligible to invoke the mechanism by the U.N. and other signatories.
Despite U.S. calls for snapback sanctions, no JCPOA or UNSC member has yet acted, with experts citing the risks involved.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran program, told Fox News Digital, “I would say one of the few good things about the JCPOA is that it reverse engineers the veto in the sense that you really only need one of the permanent members to be able to do this. But why is no one doing it? It’s because it’s a risky move.”
He added, “I think it’s a worthwhile move, but we have to be honest – it’s a risky move.”
Taleblu noted that Iran might respond by withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a move that could escalate tensions, especially after Iran suspended cooperation with the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency following U.S. and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities last month.
Strategic Concerns and Diplomatic Options
The U.S. estimates that recent strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back by up to two years, yet experts remain concerned about Tehran’s ongoing nuclear ambitions and its ties to terrorist networks and adversarial states.
Taleblu emphasized the need for a clear post-snapback strategy, stating, “In a world in which Iran’s most likely response is to leave the NPT, one has to be confident in at least the ability of military threats to deter Iran further, or at least the credibility of America’s and Israel’s, or the international community’s, military options against Iran moving forward.”
He further questioned, “The problem is the lack of a game plan. Has America provided Europe with a game plan, a road map for post-snapback?” President Trump has expressed a commitment to negotiating with Iran, but with the snapback process estimated to take six weeks and Russia set to assume the UNSC presidency in October, pressure is mounting for a European nation like the U.K., France, or Germany to act before the deadline.
Reports on Sunday suggested German Chancellor Friedrich Merz might initiate snapback measures as early as Tuesday, with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee supporting the move on X.
However, the German Foreign Ministry told JNS that these claims were inaccurate, and the chancellor’s office did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
