France has given a powerful warning that it will not hesitate to bring back strict sanctions against Iran. This message came during a meeting held at the United Nations to talk about nuclear safety. The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said Iran has gone beyond what it promised to do in its 2015 nuclear deal. He said that Iran is now very close to making nuclear weapons, something that worries many countries.
During this private meeting with the UN Security Council, the minister made it clear that there is no military way to fix this issue. He explained that peaceful talks are the only way forward, although it won’t be easy. He also said that France is closely working with Germany and the United Kingdom, and they are all speaking regularly with the United States about the situation.
The minister hopes that ongoing talks between Iran and the United States will be successful. These are the most serious talks between the two countries in many years. The goal is to stop Iran from making nuclear weapons. In return, Iran would get relief from the economic punishments, or “sanctions,” that are currently hurting its economy. Iran says it is not trying to make nuclear weapons, but many other countries are not convinced.
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Iran’s Nuclear Activity Raises Alarm
Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60 percent. This is much higher than the 3.67 percent limit that was allowed under the 2015 nuclear agreement. Experts say 90 percent enrichment is needed to make a nuclear bomb, so 60 percent is getting dangerously close.
This is one of the main reasons why France and other countries are concerned. Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to keep its uranium levels low. In exchange, other countries lifted harsh sanctions and allowed Iran to trade more freely. But after the United States pulled out of the deal a few years ago, Iran started breaking the rules too.
Jean-Noel Barrot warned that if Iran continues on this path, sanctions could return quickly. He said that if European countries feel unsafe, they won’t wait even a second to bring back the same penalties that were removed ten years ago.
These punishments could badly hurt Iran’s economy again. Already, people in Iran are struggling because of high prices and limited access to goods. Jean-Noel Barrot made a direct call to Iran to make better choices, saying that doing nothing would lead to worse outcomes for everyone.
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Final Warning Before October Deadline
There is a special rule in the 2015 nuclear deal known as the “snapback” mechanism. This rule allows countries to reapply old sanctions on Iran if it breaks the terms of the deal. However, this rule will expire in October, and time is running out.
Recently, Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, asked France, Germany, and the UK to decide soon whether they will trigger this snapback. Once activated, the sanctions would return almost automatically. This would mean very strict limits on Iran’s trade, banking, and other parts of its economy.
Jean-Noel Barrot repeated that this is not what they want. But he said clearly that France and its European partners are ready to act if their security is threatened. He added that Iran still has time to make the right decision — but that time is quickly disappearing.
The warning from France is one of the strongest yet in recent years. It shows how serious the situation has become and how close the world is to a major turning point in the Iran nuclear issue.
