PRESS RELEASE: True Deadline to Enact Iran Sanctions ‘Snapback’ Just a Month Away
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2025
Washington, DC – The window to reimpose heavy United Nations sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program through the “snapback” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, ends on October 18, 2025. However, a new report, released today by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, finds that for tactical reasons, the true deadline to successfully invoke the sanctions snapback is no later than May 2025.
As the Trump administration seeks to negotiate with Iran to eliminate its nuclear program, the report, Iran Sanctions, UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and the Path to Snapback, makes the case that to apply appropriate pressure on the Iranian regime, the administration must first convince the European participants to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to enact snapback before the end of May.
“The West must not let U.N. sanctions on Iran expire in October,” said JINSA Fellow Gabriel Noronha. “The earlier Europe can institute snapback, the more time they have to ensure a smooth legal process, increase pressure on the regime, and impose costs for their support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.”
The need to impose snapback so soon is the result of multiple factors, detailed in the report, including: the length of time required for the U.N. process, the need for that process to occur under favorable U.N. Security Council leadership, and snapback’s role in the Iranian negotiations.
“The shorter than commonly realized timeframe for using the wasting asset that is snapback demonstrates just how narrow, and unrealistic, the window of opportunity for diplomacy with Iran is,” said Blaise Misztal, JINSA Vice President for Policy. “The important role of the U.K., Germany, and/or France in invoking snapback and getting it through the UNSC also demonstrates the need for closer U.S. coordination with its European partners on this critical issue.”
Any future negotiations with Iran are best conducted when Iran’s economy is under significant strain and their proxies are at their weakest. It will take several months for the Trump administration’s “Maximum Pressure” campaign to fully work their way through the Iranian economy and government budgets. Attempting to renegotiate and finalize a comprehensive deal prior to early summer 2025, is unlikely to succeed, making the reimposition of U.N. sanctions on Iran a crucial point of leverage.
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