UN Reimposes Sanctions on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions

Ten years after being lifted in a landmark deal, sweeping UN economic and military sanctions have been reimposed on Iran.

The new measures took effect as the three European partners to the deal - the UK, France and Germany - activated the so-called "snapback" mechanism, accusing Iran of "continued nuclear escalation" and lack of co-operation, The Caspian Post reports, citing BBC.

Iran suspended inspections of its nuclear facilities - a legal obligation under the terms of the 2015 deal - after Israel and the US bombed several of its nuclear sites and military bases in June.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted last week that the country had no intention of developing nuclear weapons.

The reintroduction of sanctions - which Pezeshkian described as "unfair, unjust, and illegal" - is the latest blow to a deal that was heralded as a turning point in Western relations with the long-ostracised Islamist nation when it was first struck.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) places limits on Iran's nuclear installations, its stockpiles of enriched uranium, and the amount of research and development it can undertake.

It aims to allow Iran to develop its nuclear power infrastructure without straying into making nuclear weaponry.

Iran stepped up its banned nuclear activity after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement during his first term as president in 2018.

He has persistently criticised the deal, negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, as flawed, vowing to negotiate better terms.