Will Snapback Sanctions Curtail Iran’s Nuclear Program? Here’s What Experts Think

Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director general of the IAEA, said, ‘We should not yet conclude that Iran’s program has been destroyed.’

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote against a resolution that would permanently lift U.N. sanctions on Iran at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19, 2025. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

The return of sanctions on Iran, reinstated on Sept. 27, was initiated by the UK, France, and Germany at the United Nations Security Council, following accusations that the Middle East nation violated an agreement intended to prevent it from building a nuclear warhead.

Doubts remain over whether the reimposition of sanctions on Iran—suspended in 2015 following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—will curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.