Britain, France, and Germany have made it clear to the UN Security Council that they are willing to activate the "snap back" mechanism if Iran continues to accelerate its nuclear program. The announcement was made in a joint letter submitted on Dec. 6, in which the countries stressed that they are "determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," Reuters reported on Thursday.
If the sanctions mechanism is reactivated, all sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal will be fully restored. This would include halting all of Iran's enrichment and research activities, renewing the arms embargo, and banning the import and export of components that could be used to produce nuclear weapons.
In addition, additional sanctions will be imposed on entities and individuals involved in the nuclear program.
In a letter to the Security Council, the representatives of Britain, France, and Germany clarified: "Iran must immediately halt the advancement of its nuclear program in order to enable diplomatic progress and prevent further escalation in the region. All diplomatic tools, including the possibility of reimposing sanctions, will be considered if necessary."
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a new quarterly report about a month ago that revealed a significant increase in Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. According to the report, Iran has increased the amount of enriched uranium to 60% by an additional 17.6 kilograms, bringing the total stockpile to 182.3 kilograms – 32 times the limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal.
* Channel 14 contributed to this article.
