Iran’s president blasted France, Britain, and Germany at the UN for restoring sanctions, but the world knows Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and terror sponsorship can no longer be ignored.
Iran’s carefully crafted image as a victim of Western pressure unraveled again on Wednesday when President Masoud Pezeshkian lashed out at France, Britain, and Germany for reinstating United Nations sanctions on Tehran.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian accused the European powers of bowing to U.S. pressure and of trying to “destroy” the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal. He called their decision “illegitimate” and insisted, as Iranian leaders always do, that the Islamic Republic “has never pursued nuclear weapons.”
What he failed to mention is what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Western intelligence have repeatedly exposed: Iran is enriching uranium well beyond civilian levels, stonewalling inspections, and operating clandestine nuclear sites.
The so-called “snapback” mechanism was triggered last month after years of Iranian violations, including resuming enrichment to near-weapons-grade levels. The UN Security Council’s failure to extend sanctions relief cleared the way for penalties to be reinstated later this month — a diplomatic defeat for Tehran and a victory for those demanding accountability.
Iran blames the U.S. for walking away from the JCPOA in 2018, but the truth is simple: Tehran never complied in good faith. Even during the Obama-era deal, Iran secretly expanded its missile program, armed terror proxies from Hezbollah to the Houthis, and funneled billions into destabilizing the Middle East.
By parroting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s so-called “religious decree” against nuclear weapons, Pezeshkian tried to cloak a weapons program in theology. Yet this same regime has lied to the IAEA for decades, plotted assassinations on European soil, and built a terror empire stretching from Lebanon to Yemen.
For Israel and the West, the snapback is not about punishing Iran — it’s about survival. A nuclear-armed Iran would mean Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad under an atomic umbrella. The reimposition of sanctions is a long-overdue recognition that appeasement has failed, and only pressure can stop Iran’s march to the bomb.
