Germany says UN set to restore sanctions on Iran
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (Photo: Getty Images)
The UN will impose broader sanctions on Iran following the failure of negotiations on a nuclear deal between European countries and Tehran, states German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
He expressed confidence that UN-level sanctions against Iran will be implemented.
“We offered a lot of opportunities to come to a new negotiated solution, but they didn’t use that space. The sanctions will be imposed,” the German foreign minister stated.
At the same time, Wadephul said that while the UN sanctions mechanism against Iran will come into effect, there will always be room for diplomacy.
What is known about the sanctions mechanism against Iran
In 2015, a nuclear agreement was reached with Iran, which included a mechanism for the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions against the country.
Since Iran had met the terms of the agreement, in January 2016, the UN Security Council lifted a significant portion of sanctions against Iran. From that point, the system operated as follows: if Iran violated the agreement, any participating country could trigger the reinstatement of sanctions.
In August 2025, the UK, Germany, and France sent a letter to the UN Security Council to activate the mechanism for reimposing sanctions against Iran.
The countries cited Iran’s limited cooperation with the IAEA, increasing uranium enrichment activities, and lack of progress in negotiations with the US.
Bloomberg notes that this comes just months after Israel and the US carried out airstrikes targeting Iranian infrastructure, including key nuclear facilities.
Additionally, it is important to note that last week, the UN Security Council did not extend the suspension of sanctions, leaving the path for their automatic reinstatement open. Western media reports that the sanctions are scheduled to be reinstated on September 28, 2025.
A few days ago, Reuters reported that Iran and the US signaled the possibility of resuming dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program. However, the threat of UN sanctions being reimposed leaves little time to reach a compromise.
