The UK, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — have triggered a dispute mechanism in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, taking their most robust response yet to Tehran’s decision to no longer abide by the uranium enrichment limits set in the accord.
The European move pushes the accord closer to collapse and comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the west and the Islamic republic.
Any party to the accord can trigger the dispute resolution mechanism if they believe a signatory is in violation of the deal. The move could ultimately lead to the re-imposition of UN sanctions on the republic.
European diplomats say they are not yet at that stage and insist they are still working to save the deal, which is deemed critical to restricting Tehran’s ability to develop the capacity to build nuclear weapons. But they also want to register their concern over Iran’s announcement this month that it would end limits on the number of centrifuges used for enrichment.
Tehran took the decision — which means it no longer abides by any of its commitments on uranium enrichment — days after a US drone strike killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander. The nuclear accord’s signatories — which also include China and Russia — will now meet within 15 days to discuss their concerns. Diplomats describe the mechanism’s process as “flexible” and “extendable” and it could drag on for months.