Iran Threatens to Halt IAEA cooperation Amid Sanctions Dispute
TEHRAN – Iran has warned it will end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if Germany, Great Britain, and France reinstate UN sanctions, state television reported September 20, 2025. The threat comes as talks between iran and the European nations remain stalled.
according to a statement from Iran’s National Security Council, the move by the “E3” countries to trigger the snapback mechanism will “interrupt the path of cooperation with the agency.”
germany, France, and Great Britain invoked the snapback mechanism in August, initiating a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement. The nations cited Iran’s failure to adhere to the agreement’s limitations on its nuclear program as justification.Negotiations are ongoing, but have yet to yield progress, with a potential reinstatement of sanctions anticipated during the upcoming UN General Assembly debate.
The 2015 nuclear deal – originally between Iran, Germany, France, Great Britain, the United States, Russia, and china – aimed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.The United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, reimposing sanctions on Iran.
In response,Tehran gradually rolled back its commitments under the deal and increased uranium enrichment. The IAEA reports that Iran has now produced a significantly larger quantity of enriched uranium than permitted by the agreement.
Reinstated sanctions are expected to heavily impact Iran,particularly its energy sector,with new measures targeting the economy and military goods,and intended to deter foreign investment.