Iran Threatens Retaliation over Sanctions Imposed by EU, Britain

Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
TT
20

Iran Threatens Retaliation over Sanctions Imposed by EU, Britain

Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo

Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned fresh sanctions imposed by the European Union and Britain and said it would retaliate, after the West stepped up pressure on Iran over its crackdown on protests.

Tehran “will soon announce the list of new sanctions against the human rights violators of EU and England," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement.

The European Union imposed sanctions on more than 30 Iranian officials and organizations, including units of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), blaming them for a "brutal" crackdown on unrest and other human rights abuses.

Some EU governments and the European Parliament have made clear they want the IRGC as a whole added to the bloc's list of terrorist organizations. But the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, noted that could only happen if a court in an EU country determined the IRGC was guilty of terrorism.

The United States and Britain also issued new sanctions against Iran, reflecting a deterioration in the West's already dire relations with Tehran.

The sanctions are the latest response to Iran's deadly clampdown on unrest after the death of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in September.



Report: France, Germany, UK Willing to Reinstate Sanctions on Iran 

A woman walks next to Iranian national flags in a street in Tehran, Iran, 10 August 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks next to Iranian national flags in a street in Tehran, Iran, 10 August 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Report: France, Germany, UK Willing to Reinstate Sanctions on Iran 

A woman walks next to Iranian national flags in a street in Tehran, Iran, 10 August 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks next to Iranian national flags in a street in Tehran, Iran, 10 August 2025. (EPA)

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have told the United Nations they are ready to reinstate sanctions on Iran if it does not return to negotiations with the international community over its nuclear program, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The foreign ministers of the so-called E3 group wrote to the UN on Tuesday to raise the specter of "snapback" sanctions unless Iran takes action, the report added citing a letter seen by the newspaper.

"We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism," the ministers said in the letter, according to the report.

The E3's warning comes after "serious, frank and detailed" talks with Iran in Istanbul last month, the first face-to-face meeting since Israeli and US strikes on the country's nuclear sites.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The UK, France and Germany governments did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.