U.S. Congress Plan to Pressure Three European Countries to Activate Snapback Mechanism Against Iran

A number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have proposed measures urging the three European countries involved in the JCPOA to follow the maximum pressure policy against Iran and activate the snapback mechanism to restore all sanctions against Tehran. Senator Pete Ricketts is the sponsor of this proposal in the Senate, and Claudia Tenney is its designer in the House of Representatives. On Thursday, February 25, Ricketts described the restoration of all sanctions against Iran (the snapback mechanism) as key to the success of the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy and stated that his proposal sends a powerful message to America's European allies. This Republican senator referred to Iran as the 'primary state sponsor of terrorism' and warned that its acquisition of nuclear weapons would pose a threat to the security of the U.S. and its allies. He emphasized that Donald Trump took decisive actions to counter Iran's malign activities in the first month of his presidency and urged France, Britain, and Germany to act quickly to activate the snapback mechanism 'to limit Iran's nuclear ambitions and other malign activities' before October, when the opportunity for such action would be lost. This proposal has been presented to the U.S. Senate by Pete Ricketts with the support of 13 other senators. Claudia Tenney, also referencing her presentation of this proposal to the House, clarified that it contains a clear message to the three European countries that 'now is the time to step up.' The snapback mechanism refers to a process that leads to the immediate and automatic reinstatement of all UN sanctions against Iran and is valid until the expiration of the JCPOA (October of this year, equivalent to September of next year). Donald Trump has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that he prefers not to resort to maximum pressure against Iran and aims to reach a verifiable nuclear agreement with Iran. In his latest remarks during a Fox News interview, he noted that Iranian officials have become 'worried and frightened' and are willing to negotiate, expressing his preference for reaching a better nuclear agreement with Iran rather than military action.