EU countries notify US of plans to reimpose sanctions on Iran

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, along with EU diplomatic services, have informed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of their intention to begin the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran, Axios reports, citing its sources.

As noted, the European countries aim to “increase economic pressure” on Tehran, which could “likely trigger retaliatory measures” from Iran.

Earlier, Reuters reported that the three EU countries could start the sanctions reinstatement process on Aug. 28, following the collapse of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The sources indicated that the EU trio plans to formally notify the U.N. Security Council of their decision in the near future.

The U.S. and the three EU countries had previously agreed to set the end of August as the deadline for finalizing a nuclear agreement. Tehran has threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if sanctions lifted under the 2015 agreements by the U.N. Security Council are reinstated.