Tehran, Iran – For the first time in nearly ten years, Iran is once again facing United Nations sanctions as Western nations step up pressure on Tehran, even in the face of objections from Russia and China.
The restrictions automatically came back into effect at midnight GMT on Sunday, after European parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement triggered the accord’s “snapback” clause to restore the measures.The renewed sanctions cover a wide range of measures, including an arms embargo, financial and travel restrictions, and limits on Iran’s nuclear, missile, and banking activities. Analysts warn these steps could strain nearly every part of the already fragile Iranian economy, with the burden falling heavily on the country’s more than 90 million citizens in the months ahead.
As binding resolutions of the United Nations, the sanctions must be observed by all member states, relying on nonmilitary enforcement methods.
Amid heightened regional tensions, many fear the move could pave the way for further military action from Israel and the United States. Both countries carried out a 12-day campaign of strikes against Iran in June, resulting in more than a thousand deaths and billions of dollars in destruction.
There are also concerns that Israel could once again use the sanctions as justification for renewed attacks, similar to how it cited a June resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency as grounds for military action—an assault openly welcomed by Israeli leaders and much of the public.
.Anxious Markets, Uneasy Citizens
On Sunday, financial markets reflected growing concern over Iran’s deepening isolation under renewed sanctions.
In Tehran’s open currency market, the rial slipped to over 1.3 million against the US dollar on the second working day of the week, though trading remained thin and highly unstable. This set a record low for the rial, which had already fallen from 1.06 million per dollar since European nations initiated the snapback mechanism a month earlier. “Things feel very unstable right now,” said Rouzbeh, 35, who runs a stall in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar selling electric motors imported from China and elsewhere.
“As in recent years, whenever the dollar rises, imported items immediately become costlier and harder to find,” he explained. “Some traders here stop selling for a few days until prices settle, while others use the chaos to raise rates. But as costs climb, sales inevitably fall because people’s incomes aren’t increasing.”
Meanwhile, hardline factions in Tehran appeared satisfied with the return of UN sanctions, seeing it as the final blow to the nuclear agreement they had long criticized for bringing the country nothing but losses. Saeed Jalili, a hardline figure on Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a perennial unsuccessful presidential contender, shared a video online last week in which he criticized the nuclear agreement and Tehran’s dealings with Western powers.
“We must counter the enemy’s unreasonable demands and block further threats,” he declared, though he offered no specifics.
Local media mirrored public unease. The reformist newspaper Shargh lamented the “end” of the nuclear accord, while the economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad reported inflation hitting a 28-month peak of over 40 percent. In contrast, Kayhan, whose editor is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attempted to soften the outlook, arguing that “economic growth was positive without talks and negative with them.” Khamenei himself recently ruled out any negotiations with Washington.
The snapback clause was originally included in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to penalize Iran if it violated limits on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. But Iran, along with Russia and China, insists the West has misused this tool—pointing out that it was the United States, under Donald Trump, that abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions while Tehran still observed its commitments. Tehran began easing away from the restrictions about a year later but continues to insist it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
Following years of back-and-forth measures, Iran increased uranium enrichment levels to around 60 percent. However, it has stopped short of pursuing a nuclear bomb, despite accusations from Israel and the United States, who used those claims as justification for their attacks. The status of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the full extent of the damage to its underground nuclear sites remain uncertain, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been denied access to most facilities since the conflict.
Efforts to Contain the Crisis
Viewing Iran as weaker than it has been in decades—and angered by accusations that Tehran supplied drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine—the United States and its European allies, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (the E3), have increased pressure while dismissing Iran’s proposals for a temporary arrangement.
Appeals for restraint, including a last-minute UN Security Council motion by China and Russia on Friday to delay the snapback, were also turned down.
During Israel’s June assault on Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz even remarked that Israel was “doing the West’s dirty work” by carrying out the strikes.
On Sunday, Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi criticized Western powers, saying they had “buried diplomacy” and chosen coercion instead. He emphasized on X that “sanctions once lifted cannot be reinstated,” adding that Iran views the UN Security Council resolution connected to the nuclear agreement as having expired in October, as originally scheduled.
China and Russia appeared aligned on this position, with all three countries previously stressing that such a move has no legal foundation.
At a UN Security Council session in New York on Friday, Moscow declared that any effort to bring back sanctions is “invalid,” warning it might “seriously reassess” its ties with the UN Secretariat.
A day earlier, Russia and Iran had signed a $25 billion memorandum of understanding to construct multiple nuclear power plants in Iran.
Despite US sanctions, China has consistently remained Iran’s biggest oil customer, benefiting from discounted rates due to Tehran’s isolation.
It is still uncertain whether China, Russia, or any of Iran’s few remaining allies will risk facing secondary UN sanctions by deepening their economic engagement with Iran. Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at the Tehran-based Center for Strategic Studies, argued that the US and European powers have shown extreme hostility toward Iran, undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to him, since Donald Trump took office, Washington has effectively handed over its Iran policy to Israel. He noted that while previous US administrations avoided direct conflict with Tehran, strong influence from Christian evangelicals and pro-Israel figures — including the American ambassador to Israel — played a major role in pushing Trump toward supporting Israel’s aggressive stance against Iran.
Dareini added that Iran will continue finding ways to bypass sanctions, as it has done for years, but also has other potential moves at its disposal. These include halting cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suspending its obligations under the NPT, or even exiting the treaty altogether.
He further suggested that Washington’s broader strategy is centered on containing China. To do that, the US first seeks to reshape the Middle East into a new order with Israel in a leading role. Iran, he argued, stands as the main barrier to this plan, which is why efforts are being made to weaken and destabilize the country.
