The US State Department issued a joint statement on the first anniversary of the reimposition of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran (the "trigger mechanism," or snapback). The statement was signed by 55 countries and governments.

According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, the statement recalls that six UN resolutions, 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835 and 1929, came back into force on Sept. 27, 2025, with the completion of a process launched by France, Germany and the UK. The signatories make the following commitments:

  • To act in a coordinated way against Iran's attempts to "redevelop" its nuclear and ballistic missile programs
  • To prevent transfers of sensitive technology
  • To call on all UN members to implement the resolutions

The statement also supports the "Economic Outcast" operation the United States has carried out in recent weeks.

According to the opposition outlet Iran International, the text was issued on behalf of the countries of the "Proliferation Security Initiative." The signatories include the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Bahrain, Morocco and Yemen. The statement lists four areas of implementation:

  • Preventing the transfer of restricted goods through signatory countries
  • Rapid information sharing
  • Reviewing national legal authorities
  • Supporting the interdiction of shipments

Drones are also covered.

How the Persian press covered it

Domestic outlets reported the statement using the words "claim" and "anti-Iran statement." ISNA wrote that the United States and its allies "claimed" that Tehran bears responsibility for the sanctions.

Donya-e-Eqtesad also gave the view of Iran, Russia and China: According to these three countries, Resolution 2231 expired on Oct. 18, 2025, and its provisions have been null and void since that date. The newspaper also covered a speech to the General Assembly by Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's chargé d'affaires at the UN. According to Darzi, the E3 countries "had no legal legitimacy" to invoke the mechanism, and the Council's failure to act in September 2025 "cannot make an invalid process valid."

Iran International, for its part, reported the statement in factual language, focusing mainly on the signatories' commitments.

Context

The "trigger mechanism" is a provision in UN Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA/Barjam). If one of the parties invokes it by alleging a serious violation, earlier UN sanctions are automatically restored. The validity of the mechanism remains disputed between Western countries on one side and Iran, Russia and China on the other. As a result, the two sides read the same sanctions on different legal grounds.