Return of IAEA inspectors to Iran and escalating threat of sanctions.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Return of IAEA inspectors to Iran and escalating threat of sanctions Vienna - Arabian Sea The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced the resumption of its inspectors' duties inside Iranian nuclear facilities, after a hiatus of more than two months due to tensions following an Israeli attack on a nuclear site last June. In parallel, the European Troika countries (France, Germany, Britain) are preparing to activate the "snapback mechanism," which allows for the automatic reimposition of international sanctions on Tehran if it continues its nuclear violations. Strategic Insight: The return of the inspectors represents a new but risky diplomatic window, as the activation of the European "snapback mechanism" could put Iran in a suffocating economic isolation and return the region to the atmosphere before the 2015 agreement. From a broader perspective, the balance between European and American pressure on the one hand, and the potential Iranian response on the other, may constitute a pivotal moment that determines the future of the regional order in the Middle East over the next decade.