The United States has stepped up pressure on Iran as a crucial deadline approaches in the long-running nuclear dispute.
On August 21, Washington announced new sanctions on Iranian companies and vessels linked to oil exports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said those measures were designed to cut off Tehran’s ability to finance weapons programmes and fund its network of regional allies.
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President Donald Trump (backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) also warned that if Iran resumed uranium enrichment activities at higher levels, it could face direct military action.
The American move is part of a wider effort to restrict Iran’s room for a manoeuvre ahead of critical talks in Europe.
Officials in Washington believe Tehran is deliberately running down the clock before the Europeans decide whether to reimpose “snapback” sanctions under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal. By targeting Iran’s oil sector and threatening further action, the United States hopes to push the Islamic Republic into concessions it has so far resisted.
Russia and China rally behind Tehran
Against this backdrop, Russia and China have openly aligned themselves with Iran.
Moscow’s top envoy Mikhail Ulyanov denounced the European threats of reimposing sanctions as “blackmail” and argued that they ran contrary to international law. He insisted that the E3 powers had no legal grounds to revive measures that should lapse with the natural expiry of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal.
China has taken a similar position. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that resorting to the snapback mechanism would damage trust, widen differences, and undermine any chance of diplomacy.
Both countries have held talks with Iranian officials to coordinate a joint response to the European strategy. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed that discussions with Russian and Chinese diplomats had focused on “joint measures to counter the destructive approach” of the Europeans. He stressed that all three states share the view that the snapback option no longer has any legal validity.
This support from Moscow and Beijing complicates Western efforts to isolate Iran. Russia and China, both permanent members of the Security Council, are expected to oppose any attempt to reinstate sanctions under the UN framework. Their support could allow Tehran to go ahead with its nuclear programme without fear of unanimous international action.
European negotiations and a looming deadline
Despite the divisions among major powers, the immediate focus is on talks between Iranian and European governments. Britain, France and Germany, together with the European Union (EU), are preparing to meet Iranian negotiators in Vienna on Tuesday.
The discussions will be led by deputy foreign ministers and will come after a telephone call on August 22 between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his counterparts David Lammy of Britain, Johann Wadephul of Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot of France and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
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The European ministers have made it clear that time is running short. German Foreign Minister Wadephul explained that Europe remained committed to diplomacy but warned that “time is very short and Iran needs to engage substantively to avoid the activation of snapback".
His French counterpart Barrot echoed the same concern, saying that Paris was preparing to reimpose sanctions and that “time is running out”.
The E3 had already sent Tehran a letter on August 8, warning that they would trigger the mechanism if a “satisfactory solution” was not reached by the end of the month. With only days left before that deadline, pressure is rising on Iranian negotiators to offer concrete concessions.
Iran’s position on talks and inspections
Tehran, however, has been cautious. Foreign Minister Araghchi confirmed the upcoming meeting with Europeans but questioned whether conditions were ripe for meaningful talks with the United States.
He repeated Iran’s long-standing position that its nuclear programme was peaceful and civilian in nature, and insisted that the country had no intention of building atomic weapons.
Yet Iran continues to enrich uranium to 60 per cent purity—a level far above the needs of civilian energy production and only a short step away from weapons-grade. Although neither US intelligence nor the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found evidence that Tehran is actively working on nuclear arms, the high enrichment levels are viewed with concern in Western capitals.
Relations with the IAEA have become especially strained since June, when a 12-day conflict with Israel left several atomic sites damaged.
Following those strikes, Iran’s parliament passed a legislation suspending full cooperation with the agency. Inspectors can no longer access facilities without approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a change that has sharply limited international oversight. Araghchi insisted this did not mean an end to cooperation, but rather a new framework dictated by law.
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Iran has also accused the IAEA of facilitating hostile actions by the United States and Israel. Officials in Tehran claim that a report published by the agency in May gave adversaries the information needed to mount attacks on nuclear installations. The government has warned IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi not to travel to Iran, threatening possible arrest if he does.
Warning against snapback
Araghchi has made clear that Tehran rejects the European threat to invoke snapback. He argues that Britain, France and Germany have no legal authority to do so and that any attempt would carry “serious consequences”. At the same time, he says Iran remains open to diplomacy but will defend its rights and interests if pressured. Officials in Tehran suggest the economy—though weakened—can survive further sanctions if talks fail.
The coming weeks will test these claims. Europe insists it wants a negotiated solution, yet it has prepared the legal and political groundwork for sanctions, should Iran fail to yield.
The United States is tightening the screws with unilateral measures, while Russia and China are offering Tehran political cover.
The Vienna meeting may provide a temporary opening, but with the deadline at the end of August and the snapback threat in October, the window for avoiding escalation is narrowing rapidly.