UK, France and Germany refuse to accept US demand for Iran sanctions extension

UK, France and Germany's foreign ministers have decided to oppose US demands to snapback all UN sanctions on Iran. The decision comes as many world leaders at the United Nations earlier resisted US demands to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

The ban on the export of conventional weapons to Iran is supposed to run out automatically in October this year in line with the 2015 nuclear deal. In 2018, the United States under the Trump administration unilaterally backed out of the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal and has since then tried to impose pre-nuclear deal sanctions on Iran.

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World leaders decide not to back down

Last month in another attempt at imposing sanctions on Iran, the United States had introduced a resolution in the United Nations Security Council calling for a snapback. The resolution was soundly defeated and the US was left alone on the world stage. As per The Guardian reports, UK, France, and Germany -- or the E3’s as they are collectively known -- the US left the Iran nuclear deal back in 2018 and therefore has no jurisdiction to act unilaterally anymore.

As per reports, another confrontation between world powers is expected this month at the UN regarding Iran. The latest E3 meeting was hosted by UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who met his French and German counterparts in Kent, England. The E3 is reported to been frustrated with the US stubbornness and unwillingness to negotiate.

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Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium has increased since it was last measured in May this year. The UN's atomic watchdog last week said the Islamic Republic is continuing to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and other major powers of the world. 

Earlier, on August 26 Iran agreed to provide the IAEA access to its two suspected nuclear sites for verification activities after long denying permission for nuclear inspection in the country. According to the Associated Press, which has viewed a confidential document distributed by the IAEA to members of the nuclear deal, Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium has increased from 1,571.6 kilograms in May to 2,105.4 kilograms as of August 25. 

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