Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
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Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)

Iran's foreign minister warned Britain, France and Germany on Monday that a decision to trigger a UN mechanism reimposing sanctions on Tehran could lead to an irreversible escalation of tensions.

Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying a 2015 nuclear pact, the three European powers could reimpose United Nations sanctions against Tehran before October 18, known in diplomatic circles as the "snapback mechanism".

"Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA (nuclear pact) signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences — not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote in a column in French weekly magazine Le Point.

US President Donald Trump exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear accord with six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed tough sanctions that have devastated Iran's economy.

The European powers are not part of current negotiations between Iran and the United States, the fourth round of which ended in Oman on Sunday.

But the three powers have sought to coordinate closely with Washington with a view to whether and when they should use the snapback mechanism to raise pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

Trump said on Monday that Iran was "talking intelligently."

"We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can't have a nuclear weapon, it's very simple. So I think they understand that I mean business and I think they're being very reasonable thus far," he told reporters.

Talks between the so-called E3 and Iran in Rome earlier in May were postponed. Araqchi said that a meeting between Iran's deputy foreign minister and E3 counterparts had since taken place, describing them as a "promising, but fragile start."

France's foreign ministry declined to comment. The British and German foreign ministries were not immediately available to comment.

According to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters, the E3 countries may trigger a snapback by August if no substantial deal can be found by then. The window closes on October 18.

Relations between the E3 and Iran have worsened over the last year despite sporadic meetings, against a backdrop of new sanctions imposed on Tehran over its ballistic missile program, its detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Iran, which has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, has breached the 2015 pact's nuclear curbs since 2019, including "dramatically" accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons-grade, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

It denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.



Ukraine to Boost Domestic Arms Production to Counter Russia's Invasion, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
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Ukraine to Boost Domestic Arms Production to Counter Russia's Invasion, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. File Photo/The AP

A new Ukrainian government approved Thursday will race to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Switzerland said Thursday that the US Defense Department had informed it that Washington is diverting a Swiss order for Patriot air defense systems to help Ukraine, which badly needs to improve its response to increasingly heavy Russian aerial attacks.

Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine The Swiss Defense Ministry, which in 2022 ordered five Patriot systems, said Thursday it has been informed by the US Defense Department that it will “reprioritize the delivery of Patriot systems to support Ukraine.”

It was not immediately clear whether the Swiss-ordered Patriots would go directly to Ukraine or would replace units in other European countries that may be donated to Kyiv, The AP news reported.

Delivery to Switzerland of the systems, worth billions of dollars, was scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2028. But the Swiss government said Washington informed it of the delay on Wednesday, adding that it was unclear how many systems would be affected.

The need to adequately arm Ukraine’s military is pressing as Russia looks to drive forward its summer offensive after three years of war and pounds Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles.

It remains unclear when the promised US-made weapons, especially the Patriot systems, might reach Ukraine. Trump has agreed to send the weaponry, but it will be paid for by European countries.

No timeframe for foreign weapons in Ukraine The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said he couldn’t give a timeframe for when Ukraine might get extra foreign weapons.

“We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done. Things are actually moving very quickly, but I can’t verify a date that this will all be completed. I think it’s going to be an ongoing movement,” he told reporters in Brussels.

“The plan is that there will be American-made defense equipment, capabilities, that will be sold to our European allies, that they will provide to Ukraine,” he said.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said Thursday he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will chair a meeting of Ukraine’s allies on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump’s weapons plans. Healey said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte will attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told The Associated Press Thursday that “preparations are underway” for weapons transfers to Ukraine and that NATO is working “very closely” with Germany to transfer Patriot systems.

Grynkewich said at a military event in Wiesbaden, Germany, that he had been ordered to “move (the weapons) out as quickly as possible.” He said the number of weapons being transferred is classified.

German Defense Ministry spokesperson Mitko Müller said Wednesday he couldn't confirm that anything is currently on its way to Ukraine.

Rutte, the NATO chief, said in Washington on Monday that the alliance is coordinating the military support with funding from allies in Europe and Canada. He said there were commitments from Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada, “with more expected to follow.”

Ukraine now makes 40% of its own weapons Ukraine's domestic defense manufacturing already accounts for almost 40% of weapons used by the Ukrainian military, according to Zelensky. As uncertainty grows about how many more weapons shipments Western countries can provide — and how quickly — Ukraine is keen to increase its output and widen its strikes on Russian soil.

“What we need is greater capacity to push the war back onto Russia’s territory — back to where the war was brought from," Zelensky said late Wednesday in his nightly video address.

“We must reach the level of 50% Ukrainian-made weapons within the first six months of the new government’s work by expanding our domestic production.”

Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones, which it uses to strike deep inside Russia .

Russian air defenses shot down 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country’s defense ministry said Thursday. The wave of drones caused flights to be grounded at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg, although most of the drones were reportedly destroyed over the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk.

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 64 Shahed and decoy drones overnight, killing at least one person, the Ukrainian air force reported. The assault centered on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said.

In other developments:

Russia on Thursday sent to Ukraine 1,000 bodies, including some of the country’s fallen soldiers, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.

At the same time, Russia received the bodies of 19 soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said.

The exchange was part of a deal reached at direct peace talks last May and June that produced few other agreements between the sides.