The Iranian leadership is pondering numerous countermeasures following a decision by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom -- the so-called E3 -- to formally trigger the UN's "snapback" mechanism, moving to restore sanctions on Iran over what they call "grave noncompliance" with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Hard-liners favor confrontation: restricting inspectors further, ramping up enrichment, even threatening shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. Some have suggested suspending talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resume cooperation.
A much-discussed option is withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But others favor dialogue.
The E3 decision, taken just weeks before their authority to act was set to expire, starts a 30-day clock: Unless a compromise is reached, full UN sanctions once lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will return.
E3 ministers say they had no choice. Iran's swelling -- and unaccounted for -- stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, coupled with tighter restrictions on inspectors, left little room for renewed engagement. The United States has welcomed the E3's move.
Tehran has condemned it as "unjustified and illegal," accusing the Europeans of breaking their own commitments and vowing to take "appropriate action."
Pulling out of the NPT would be one of the most dramatic steps on the table. Signed in 1968 and in force since 1970, the NPT bars nuclear states from sharing arsenals and obliges non-nuclear states not to build them, while guaranteeing access to peaceful nuclear technology under safeguards. Iran joined at the outset.
Withdrawal would take months and is viewed largely as leverage rather than imminent policy, but it would be highly symbolic.
Hard-line lawmakers in Iran's conservative-dominated parliament have already drafted a "triple urgency" bill to accelerate withdrawal. If introduced, it would be debated, voted on, and reviewed by the Guardian Council in a single day -- underscoring how quickly Tehran could escalate.
The E3 have left a narrow offramp, offering Iran six months' delay on sanctions if it restores full inspector access and resumes talks. But with the economy battered by sanctions and mismanagement, and with Russia and China unable to block a veto-proof process, Tehran faces hard choices.
While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is theoretically possible, internal politics and international skepticism make such an outcome slim, especially given Iran's reluctance to appear to back down under pressure.
