Snapback sanctions will be imposed on Iran by month’s end, Macron says
Snapback sanctions on Iran will be triggered at the end of this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday.
Snapback sanctions on Iran will be triggered at the end of this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday.
Asked if the return of UN sanctions on Iran was a "done deal," Macron answered: “Yes, I think so. Because the latest news we have from the Iranians are not serious."
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, he added, “tried to make a reasonable offer” to reach a deal with European powers, but did not receive backing from other members of the Iranian ruling system.
Iran made a new proposal to the E3 nations Britain, Germany and France on Wednesday to avoid the return of UN sanctions, Wall Street Journal journalist Laurence Norman reported on X earlier on Thursday.
The E3 views the proposal as insufficient because it seeks major concessions without any concrete Iranian action, Norman added, citing an unnamed source.
Seperately, Axios journalist Barak Ravid wrote on X that a draft resolution to extend the suspension of UN sanctions on Iran will be circulated at the Security Council on Thursday, with a vote scheduled for Friday.
Barak said the resolution is not expected to pass, which would trigger the “snapback” mechanism, leading to the reimposition of sanctions on Iran at 8 p.m. ET on September 27.
The three European powers triggered the snapback process on August 28 under Resolution 2231, demanding Iran return to talks, grant wider access to inspectors, and account for its missing uranium stockpiles.
On Wednesday, European foreign ministers urged Iran to resume nuclear talks, allow inspections of sensitive sites and curb its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Last week, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that if the E3 move to activate the snapback mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions, "they will be excluded from nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic."
Speaking at the Prime Minister's Award Ceremony, Barnea said: “We have won, and we will continue to win. Though we proved that Iran is penetrable, we are not letting up.
“The Mossad has very strong operational capabilities, even more imaginative and powerful than before — especially inside Iran and even in the heart of Tehran.”
At the ceremony, Mossad received this year’s honor in recognition of its recent operations. Among them was the so-called “beeper operation” in Lebanon, in which pager devices used by Iran-aligned Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously.
Another operation cited involved the establishment of a covert drone base inside Iran, which Israel said was used to destroy missile launchers prepared to fire following Israel’s June 13 strikes.
“We will continue to build and strengthen our capabilities in Iran, to keep our eyes open from within Iran on what is happening behind closed doors, and we will not allow ideas that could endanger our security to grow,” he said.
Since the June war, over 700 Iranians have been arrested on charges of spying for Israel with at least nine given the death sentence already.
Inside Israel, dozens of Israelis have been arrested on allegations of spying for Iran since the beginning of the Gaza war in 2023, some of whom involved in plots to kill top military and political leaders in the country.
“The enemy used negotiations as a cover for deception and betrayed diplomacy by starting the war,” Mousavi said.
He said Iran has never initiated war and sees diplomacy as the best way to resolve disputes, but argued that the armed forces had given a strong response to the United States and Israel.
Moscow supports stronger cooperation in both economic and defense fields, the Russian minister said in return.
Pezeshkian stresses partnership
Iran is prepared to expand cooperation with Moscow, President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a separate meeting with Tsivilev.
“No barrier stands in the way of Iran-Russia cooperation, and the model of successful cooperation between independent countries like ours will prove that the era of unilateral powers has ended,” Pezeshkian said.
He called joint projects proof that sanctions have not obstructed Tehran. “Growth can be achieved without reliance on unilateral powers,” Pezeshkian added, saying that agreements in transport, energy, and power generation will move forward if ministers and expert teams accelerate implementation.
Iran’s parliament in May approved a 20-year strategic partnership with Russia. The agreement, initially signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pezeshkian on January 17, was ratified by Russia’s State Duma in April.
While the pact does not include a mutual defense clause, it commits both nations to military-technical cooperation, joint exercises, and coordination against what they define as shared threats.
Officials from both governments remain in regular contact to ensure agreements are carried out, Tsivilev said. “No pressure or sanctions can disrupt this process.”
Iranian and Russian officials have repeatedly announced projects on trade, transport, and energy. Many have been delayed or left incomplete because of financial limits and logistical difficulties.
The revenge drama, produced largely in France and shot in Iran without government approval, follows a group of former political prisoners confronting a man they believe tortured them decades earlier.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, was made by an 11-member committee convened by France’s culture ministry after reviewing five finalists, including Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague and Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life.
Panahi, long banned from working or traveling in Iran, has spent much of the past 15 years under house arrest or in prison. He was released from jail in 2023 after a hunger strike, and edited the new film in France.
US distributor Neon has acquired the film and is planning an awards campaign, while Mubi has taken international rights.
“This Iranian drama, directed by the great Jafar Panahi and produced with the decisive support of France … is proof that our country, 130 years after inventing cinema, remains the beating heart of international co-productions,” Gaëtan Bruel, head of the CNC film body, said in a statement.
The move also highlights stark contrasts with Iran’s own Oscar choice. A day earlier, Tehran selected Ali Zarnegar’s Cause of Death: Unknown, a moral drama that won praise abroad but was pulled from Iran’s state-run Fajr Festival in 2022. Independent filmmakers in Iran continue to face censorship, surveillance and travel bans.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.
