Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1980 of 29 September 2025 implementing Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 of 23 March 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 (1), and in particular Article 46(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:

(1) On 23 March 2012, the Council adopted Regulation (EU) No 267/2012.

(2) On 14 July 2015, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, supported by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the ‘High Representative’), reached an agreement with Iran on a long-term comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. The full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme, and provide for the comprehensive lifting of all nuclear-related sanctions.

(3) On 20 July 2015, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2231 (2015) endorsing the JCPOA, urging its full implementation in accordance with the timetable established in the JCPOA and providing for actions to take place in accordance with the JCPOA.

(4) On 20 July 2015, the Council welcomed and endorsed the JCPOA and committed itself to abiding by its terms and to following the agreed implementation plan. The Council also fully supported UNSC Resolution 2231 (2015).

(5) On 18 October 2015, the Council adopted Declaration 2015/C 345/01 (2) noting that the commitment to lift all European Union nuclear-related sanctions in accordance with the JCPOA was without prejudice to the dispute resolution mechanism set out in the JCPOA and to the reintroduction of Union sanctions in case of significant non-performance by Iran of its commitments under the JCPOA. Furthermore, the Council committed to reintroduce without delay all Union nuclear-related sanctions that had been suspended or terminated, in the event of significant non-performance by Iran of its commitments under the JCPOA upon joint recommendation to the Council by the High Representative, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

(6) On 28 August 2025, the High Representative as Coordinator of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA (the ‘Coordinator’), and the President of the UNSC received a letter from the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom related to the implementation of the JCPOA. Through this letter, the Foreign Ministers notified the UNSC that, based on factual evidence, they believed Iran to be in significant non-performance of its commitments under the JCPOA, thereby opening the procedure to reinstate the UN sanctions lifted under UNSC Resolution 2231 (2015), in line with paragraph 11 of UNSC Resolution 2231 (2015).

(7) On 29 August 2025, in line with Declaration 2015/C 345/01, the High Representative, France and Germany sent a joint recommendation to the Council, recommending that all EU nuclear-related sanctions that had been suspended or terminated, or both, be reintroduced without delay, once the UN sanction have been reinstated, in line with UNSCR 2231 (2015).

(8) By 27 September 2025, the UNSC had not adopted a new resolution to continue the lifting of sanctions within 30 days of the notification of 28 August 2025. Therefore, in line with the provisions of paragraph 37 of the JCPOA, the provisions of the UNSC Resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1835 (2008) and 1929 (2010) will be re-imposed.

(9) The Council considers that the Union has valid grounds for re-imposing all EU nuclear-related sanctions against Iran that have been suspended or terminated under the JCPOA.

(10) Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annex IX to Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 29 September 2025.

For the Council The President M. BØDSKOV

(1) OJ L 88, 24.3.2012, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/267/oj.

(2) Council Declaration 2015/C 345/01 of 18 October 2015 (OJ C 345, 18.10.2015, p. 1).