Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the United Nations to take firm action against Iran, warning the global community not to allow Tehran to revive its nuclear and military programs. His remarks came on Friday, just a day before the U.N. Security Council is set to reimpose sweeping sanctions on Iran.
All U.N. sanctions will return at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday (0000 GMT), following a 30-day process triggered by Britain, France, and Germany the so-called E3 who accused Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal. That agreement was designed to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Diplomatic efforts to delay the sanctions, led by Russia and China, failed after last-minute negotiations between Iran and European powers ended without progress.
In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu praised joint Israeli and U.S. operations earlier this year that targeted Iranian nuclear sites, claiming they had removed an “existential threat” to Israel and a danger to the wider world. “We must not allow Iran to rebuild its military nuclear capacities or its stockpile of enriched uranium,” he said. “These stockpiles must be eliminated, and sanctions must snap back.”
Iran, however, continues to deny it is pursuing nuclear weapons. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi argued that a delay in sanctions could provide valuable space for diplomacy, saying Iran had offered multiple proposals, but claimed the E3 and the U.S. failed to respond constructively.
Despite Tehran’s appeals, a senior European diplomat confirmed the snapback would proceed. The sanctions will include an arms embargo, restrictions on uranium enrichment and missile development, global asset freezes, travel bans, and renewed pressure on Iran’s energy sector.
Iran’s economy has already been hit hard by U.S. sanctions reimposed in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal. The latest measures are expected to deepen the economic crisis while raising fresh geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
