Iran announced Saturday that it had summoned its ambassadors from Britain, France, and Germany for consultations in Tehran after the three European governments moved to reactivate UN sanctions against the country.

 

State television reported the step, saying, “Following the irresponsible action of the three European countries to reinstate repealed UN Security Council resolutions, Iran's ambassadors to Germany, France and the United Kingdom have been summoned to Tehran for consultations.”

 

Read more: What Europe’s ‘snapback sanctions’ on Iran mean for diplomacy

 

Britain, France, and Germany have warned they may reactivate UN sanctions against Iran unless Tehran limits its nuclear activities and resumes cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

The European trio, known as the E3, is considering invoking the so-called “snapback mechanism” of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

 

Western countries and 'Israel' have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, claims Tehran denies. The E3’s warning comes as Iranian officials meet European powers in Geneva for talks on the nuclear program.

 

The 2015 accord, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), involved Iran agreeing to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the UN lifting international sanctions. The deal was backed unanimously by the UN Security Council under resolution 2231.

 

Then-US President Barack Obama’s administration inserted a “snapback” clause, allowing any participating state to automatically reinstate sanctions if Iran was judged to be violating the agreement.

 

“It is a unique Security Council measure that has not been used before and once triggered, cannot be reversed,” analyst Negar Mortazavi from the Center for International Policy told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

 

Under the mechanism, a participant can notify the Security Council of a significant breach. A 30-day window follows, during which the Council may pass a resolution to continue lifting the sanctions. If the notifying state vetoes the resolution, the sanctions automatically return.

 

The E3 has indicated it could trigger the mechanism before the October 18 deadline, after which UN sanctions would be permanently removed. In a letter to the UN in mid-August, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, and Germany said, “We are ready... to notify the significant non-performance of JCPOA commitments by Iran,” and could activate the snapback before August 31.