Iran warns of war as Europe triggers sanctions snapback

A senior Iranian lawmaker said the country must prepare for war as European powers moved to restore sanctions on Tehran. Ebrahim Rezai, a member of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, made the remarks amid escalating tensions.

Iran’s parliament has tabled an emergency bill to withdraw fully from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to be introduced tomorrow and debated next week.

The UK, France and Germany formally notified the UN Security Council of their decision to activate the snapback mechanism, which will reinstate sanctions on Iran’s financial, banking, energy and defence sectors within 30 days.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remains open to direct diplomacy but urged Tehran to take immediate steps to guarantee it cannot acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned that the European move would undermine cooperation with the IAEA and would be met with reciprocal measures. Diplomats said the UN Security Council will hold closed consultations on Aug. 29 to discuss the JCPOA and sanctions.