WIREDGOV

The return of UNSC sanctions on Iran and Tehran’s reaction will define the future of Iran's nuclear programme. But more than that, the lead-up and reactions to 'snapback' highlight and contribute to a broader crisis of legitimacy of international institutions.

Over the weekend, UN Security Council sanctions on Iran – which had been lifted under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – were reinstated. This comes on the back of long-standing Iranian violations of the nuclear deal and continued failures to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in providing transparency of its nuclear activities. Iran has, in turn, been threatening to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should UNSC sanctions return.

While all of this has direct implications for the Iranian nuclear programme, snapback has also shone a floodlight on – and contributed to – the broader crisis of legitimacy facing international institutions and the global non-proliferation regime. The latter, rather than the specifics of what happens next on the Iran nuclear file, may prove to be the most long-lasting fallout of UNSC snapback.

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