‘You’ll lose it all’ – Iran threatens Europe over nuclear sanctions

Tehran accused the E3 of having “no legal, political, or moral entitlement” to trigger snapback sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

By World Israel News Staff

A senior Iranian government official issued a threatening statement Sunday in response to several European countries’ plan to reimpose sanctions on Tehran for refusing to curb its nuclear program, warning that those nations would soon “lose it all.”

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the UK, Germany, and France — known collectively as the E3 — have no authority to reinstate sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal. That agreement failed to stop Iran’s weapons development.

“It is not just that the E3 has no legal, political, or moral entitlement to invoke ‘snapback,’ and that even if they did, ‘use or lose it’ doesn’t work,” Araghchi wrote. “It’s that the correct expression for the E3’s dilemma is ‘use it and lose it.’ Or better yet, ‘use it and lose it all,’” he added.

Araghchi did not specify what the European countries might “lose” if they proceed with the move to reinstate sanctions on Tehran.

Following Iran’s 12-day war in June, the Islamic Republic agreed to resume nuclear talks after months of stalled negotiations. But those discussions collapsed in August, leading the E3 to announce they would reinstate sanctions due to Tehran’s refusal to accept the terms of a new agreement.

However, the sanctions would take effect only after 30 days, giving negotiators additional time for extended talks.

The deadline for reimposing sanctions is approaching, with Iran set to face new penalties if it does not agree to a nuclear deal by the end of September.

During the June conflict, Israel and the United States struck several key Iranian nuclear sites.

However, the efficacy of those strikes remains unclear, with some reports suggesting Tehran had already moved its large stockpile of enriched uranium — critical for building a nuclear weapon — to safety before the U.S. attack on the Fordow facility.