United Nations – In a significant diplomatic development, the E3 countries — Britain, France, and Germany — have proposed a conditional offer to Iran, suggesting a six-month delay in the reimposition of snapback sanctions if Tehran agrees to meet three critical conditions.

According to a joint statement issued by the three European powers ahead of the UN Security Council session, the conditions include:

1. Restoring full access to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors for oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.
2. Addressing concerns over uranium enrichment levels that exceed the thresholds outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA).
3. Rejoining nuclear negotiations with the United States, which withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.

The E3’s statement clarified that if Iran complies, the snapback mechanism — which was triggered just a day earlier — would not be enforced immediately, allowing additional time for diplomacy.

However, the response from Tehran was swift and defiant. Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, rejected the proposal outright, calling it “filled with unrealistic preconditions” and arguing that such demands should be the outcome of negotiations, not the starting point.

He further emphasized that the West is fully aware that these demands cannot be met in the current political climate.

This comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran remains open to resuming talks over its nuclear program — but only if Western powers demonstrate seriousness and goodwill.

The renewed standoff underscores the fragile state of the 2015 nuclear accord (JCPOA), which has been hanging by a thread since the U.S. withdrawal. While Europe is seeking to buy time to avoid escalation, Iran’s refusal to accept preconditions highlights the widening gap in trust between Tehran and Western capitals.