After several weeks of speculation, the decision is now official. The three European signatories of the Iranian nuclear deal – the United Kingdom, Germany and France – announced, in a joint statement on Wednesday, August 13, that they were granting Iran an additional repreive period, conditional on it increasing its cooperation around its nuclear program, before they reinstate their sanctions.

In the document, which was addressed to the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), among others, and to which Le Monde obtained access, the three countries, known as the "E3," gave Tehran until the end of August to respond to the international community's concerns regarding its nuclear program.

"We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism," reads the document, referring to a measure that allows the sanctions, which were lifted following the 2015 agreement, to be reimposed. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of France, Jean-Noël Barrot; Germany, Johann Wadephul; and the UK, David Lammy.

You have 77.51% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.