Israel urges sanctions on Iran over nuclear watchdog cooperation halt 

“Scandalous”

Israel called on the three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran on Wednesday to reimpose sanctions on Tehran after it suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The time to activate the Snapback mechanism is now! I call upon the E3 countries- Germany, France, and the UK to reinstate all sanctions against Iran!” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on his official X account.

The snapback mechanism enables signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal to reimpose all UN sanctions on Iran in case of any violation of Tehran’s commitments under the deal.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law on Wednesday requiring the government to suspend cooperation with the IAEA.

Sa’ar called the Iranian decision to halt ties with the IAEA “scandalous.”

“It is a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments,” he said.

“The international community must act decisively now and utilize all means at its disposal to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions.”

During his first term in office, US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington in 2018 from the nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed a series of sanctions aimed at stifling Iran’s economy and limiting Tehran’s regional influence.

In 2020, the US issued two requests to the UN to activate the snapback mechanism and impose comprehensive sanctions on Iran for "non-compliance” with the nuclear agreement.

In February 2021, former President Joe Biden lifted the sanctions that were imposed by his predecessor on Tehran and canceled the request to activate the snapback mechanism.

Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the IAEA comes amid growing tensions between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog over monitoring access and transparency in the wake of recent military confrontations with Israel and the US.

A 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13 when Israel launched air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.

The conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.