Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the United Nations to ensure Iran does not rebuild its nuclear and military capabilities, just a day before global sanctions are due to be reimposed on Tehran.
His remarks came on Friday, hours before the U.N. Security Council votes on a proposal by Russia and China to delay the sanctions, a move diplomats say is unlikely to succeed.
All U.N. sanctions on Iran are scheduled to return at 8 pm EDT on Saturday (0000 GMT) after European powers—Britain, France and Germany—triggered a 30-day process accusing Tehran of breaching the 2015 nuclear agreement intended to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
“We must not allow Iran to rebuild its military nuclear capacities, or Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. These stockpiles must be eliminated, and tomorrow, U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran must be snapped back,” Netanyahu said.
The European powers, commonly referred to as the E3, had proposed delaying the reimposition of sanctions for up to six months to give room for renewed negotiations.
Their offer required Iran to restore access for U.N. nuclear inspectors, address concerns about enriched uranium stockpiles, and agree to talks with the United States.
However, diplomatic discussions between Iran and the E3 ended in a deadlock, leaving little hope for a last-minute breakthrough.
Iran maintains it is not pursuing nuclear weapons. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the suggested delay would allow diplomacy to continue.
“In past days and weeks, Iran has put forward multiple proposals to keep the window for diplomacy open. The E3 has failed to reciprocate while the U.S. has doubled down on its dictates,” he posted on X.
A senior European diplomat noted the talks had reached an impasse. “The Iranian system was not willing to budge. Snapback will happen,” the diplomat said.
Once triggered, U.N. sanctions will take effect immediately on Saturday, while the European Union’s measures will return next week.
The sanctions package includes restoring an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing, prohibitions on ballistic missile activities, global asset freezes and travel bans on Iranian individuals and entities, and restrictions on its energy sector.
Iran’s economy is already under pressure from harsh sanctions that were reinstated in 2018 after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal during his first term. The new measures are expected to intensify the strain on Tehran as diplomatic efforts stall.