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France, the United Kingdom and Germany will reinstate harsh sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no progress is made on a nuclear deal, Western diplomats and officials say.

The economic penalties on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 agreement in return for allowing restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme would return by the end of next month “at the latest” if there is no breakthrough, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday.

The deadline was announced as pressure mounts on diplomats to find a new solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Tehran has reiterated are civilian in nature, in the wake of massive Israeli and United States strikes on the country last month.

“France and its partners are … justified in reapplying global embargoes on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago,” Barrot told reporters before a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

“Without a firm, tangible and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.”

Snapback provision

Under a so-called snapback provision in the 2015 deal, United Nations sanctions are able to be reimposed on Iran if Tehran does not comply with its requirements.

The British, French and German ambassadors to the UN met on Tuesday to discuss reimposing the sanctions, The Associated Press news agency reported.

The issue was also discussed in a phone call on Monday between the foreign ministers of the three countries and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, told the agency.

Iran’s UN mission made no comment in response to the threat of returned sanctions, AP reported.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that the return of UN sanctions by the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal would “end” Europe’s role in the Iranian nuclear issue and as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

Iran open to US talks

The US and Iran were engaged in extended negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme before the Israeli strikes began in June and were joined in their latter stages with strikes by Washington. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 during his first term in office, declaring it too weak on Iran.

After the attacks in June, Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors its nuclear programme.

Araghchi said in recent days that Tehran would be prepared to resume nuclear talks with Washington as long as it provides “a firm guarantee” that there would be no further attacks.

He said the Israeli and US strikes have “made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution”.

In a statement published by the Iranian Students’ News Agency, Iran’s parliament said on Wednesday that the country should not restart nuclear negotiations with the US until conditions are met. The report did not say what the conditions were.

Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, have said talks with Iran would happen soon, but nothing has been scheduled.

In the meantime, China has said Wednesday that it will continue to support Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and dignity, and in “resisting power politics and bullying,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Araghchi.

Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra has testified in court, seeking to defend himself against royal defamation charges that could land him 15 years in prison, just weeks after his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended as prime minister.

Thaksin stands accused of breaching strict lese-majeste laws shielding Thailand’s royal family from abuse and criticism in a closed-door trial in the capital, Bangkok, that began earlier this month and continued on Wednesday.

The prosecution’s case revolves around remarks Thaksin made to South Korean media a decade ago, with the defendant due to give at least three days of testimony. A verdict is not expected for several weeks.

Recent events for both father and daughter are a serious blow to the powerful Shinawatra political dynasty. For the past quarter-century, the 75-year-old telecoms magnate has been a defining figure of Thai politics, founding a movement which has competed with the traditional pro-royal, pro-military elite.

His prosecution, combined with Paetongtarn’s suspension two weeks ago, represents a dramatic waning of their family’s political fortune, analysts say.

Thaksin’s lawyer Winyat Chatmontri told the AFP news agency his client testified on Wednesday morning “and will continue throughout the rest of the day”.

About 50 Thaksin supporters gathered at the court, wearing red shirts, the colour of his political movement, emblazoned with a portrait of his face.

“He is a very talented guy,” 79-year-old retired accountant Vaew Wilailak told AFP. “But from past experience, bad people just want to get rid of him.”

Thaksin returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years in exile, following a military coup which removed him from the prime minister’s office that he won in two elections.

He returned the day his family’s Pheu Thai party took office, at the head of a coalition government backed by their conservative former enemies, prompting suspicions a backroom deal had been struck.

Thaksin was immediately sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption and abuse of power charges – later reduced to one year by a pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn in another apparent sign of reconciliation.

In recent interviews, Thaksin affirmed his loyalty to the monarchy and expressed gratitude for the king’s pardon.

Speaking to AFP outside the court on the trial’s opening day on July 1, Winyat said his client appeared “chill” despite the seriousness of the case.

On the same day, Paetongtarn was suspended by the Constitutional Court, pending an ethics probe into her conduct during a leaked diplomatic phone call discussing a deadly border clash between Thai and Cambodian troops on May 28, which resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier and reignited longstanding tensions in the region.

The scandal “became a full-blown crisis” after the leaked call suggested that Paetongtarn had “compromised her position by kowtowing” to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor of political science and international relations at Chulalongkorn University, told the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

In the call, Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and described a Thai military commander as an “opponent”.

The Sundhnukur volcano has erupted near Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, the 12th volcanic eruption in the North Atlantic island nation since 2021, the Icelandic Meteorological Office says.

The agency said in a statement on Wednesday morning that an eruptive fissure in southwestern Iceland is 700 to 1,000 metres (765 to 1,095 yards) long.

“Lava is mostly flowing to the southeast and is not approaching any infrastructure,” it added. “Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this was a relatively small eruption.”

Live images showed flows of lava and smoke being belched into the sky.

People were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, a luxury geothermal spa resort, and the nearby fishing town of Grindavik, according to the public broadcaster RUV, which quoted police.

Rather than flowing from a central crater, lava from fissure eruptions like Wednesday’s appears from long cracks in the Earth’s crust.

Iceland, which is often referred to as a land of ice and fire, has now recorded a dozen volcanic eruptions since geological systems on its Reykjanes Peninsula reactivated four years ago.

The Reykjanes eruptions have so far neither posed a threat to nearby Reykjavik nor have they caused air traffic disruptions, unlike the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which grounded planes across Northern Europe for almost a week.

Grindavik was home to almost 4,000 people before an evacuation order was issued in 2023. Now, it is mainly deserted because of the threat of lava flows and related earthquakes.

In early April, a volcanic eruption penetrated protective barriers close to Grindavik, and the emergency services evacuated its residents and those staying at the Blue Lagoon spa.

Experts have said eruptions on the peninsula could continue for decades.

Every year, Iceland, which has a population of nearly 400,000 people, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to explore its volcanic landscape.