Iran has recalled its ambassadors to the United Kingdom, France, and Germany after the three European powers triggered the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on Tehran for the first time in a decade.
The move, announced by Iranian state media on Saturday, September 27, 2025, follows the failure of Russia and China at the UN Security Council to delay the “snapback” mechanism. With only four countries backing their draft resolution, the way was cleared for sanctions to take effect at midnight GMT on Sunday.
The revived sanctions will impose sweeping restrictions on Iran’s nuclear, military, banking, and shipping sectors. The announcement has already sent Iran’s national currency, the rial, to historic lows, trading at more than 1.1 million per US dollar in Tehran’s open market.
The European trio (E3) accused Iran of failing to fully disclose aspects of its nuclear program, particularly after countermeasures Tehran undertook in response to Israeli and U.S. strikes during a 12-day conflict in June that left more than 1,000 dead, according to Iranian authorities.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that inspections resumed at some Iranian sites this week, but did not specify whether they included facilities hit by recent airstrikes. In Moscow, Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, criticized the agency for not condemning those attacks.
Diplomatic efforts to avoid the sanctions collapsed in New York during the UN General Assembly, with Western powers rejecting Tehran’s last-minute proposals. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of pressuring its European allies and dismissed negotiations under current conditions.
“If the goal had been to resolve concerns on the nuclear programme, we could easily do that,” Pezeshkian said, reiterating Iran’s stance that it will never pursue nuclear weapons.
