The failure of the JCPOA, the return of sanctions, and the necessity of national deterrence

Statement by Group of Supporters of the Iran Anti-Imperialist Left Alliance — 

 September 23, 2025 —

On Friday, September 19, 2025, the United Nations Security Council once again became the scene of the defeat of justice and the triumph of imperialist logic. A resolution that could have prevented the return of crippling sanctions against Iran failed to obtain the necessary votes, effectively paving the way for the activation of the snapback mechanism. That is, the same sanctions that were lifted by the JCPOA are on the verge of returning.

The European countries, Britain, France, and Germany, have clearly shown that they have no independence in following Washington and Tel Aviv, and their main goal is nothing more than to impose “zero enrichment” and drive Iran into complete passivity. This is the same project that was advanced by the West’s successive betrayals from the first day of the JCPOA until the official withdrawal of the United States and then Europe’s follow-up.

The ten-year experience of the JCPOA has exposed one truth: trusting the West is a completely failed policy. The West has neither fulfilled its commitments nor respected Iran’s rights; rather, it has always sought to disarm the country’s defenses and weaken it in every way. Their problem is not only enrichment, but the existence of an independent Iran with missile power and deterrence capacity.

We firmly declare: The Iranian nuclear issue cannot be separated from the context of national independence, the right to self-determination, and resistance to imperialist domination. Imperialism only seeks to weaken the political and economic capacities, and especially the defense capabilities, of countries that are not willing to ally with the unipolar order.

We condemn the return of sanctions; and at the same time, we emphasize that the real solution lies not in compromise and surrender, but in organized popular resistance, strengthening technological independence, and increasing regional and international South-to-South ties.

Iran and the Global Transition

The world is transitioning to a new order. American hegemony is breaking down, the global South is rising, the dollar is losing its undisputed position, and emerging powers such as China, Russia, India, Brazil, and others are establishing new architectures of economic, political, and security cooperation.

Many countries have been able to consolidate their position in this new order through diplomatic acumen. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite its privileged geopolitical position and enormous economic potential, has been negligent and delayed in taking advantage of these opportunities. The illusion of trust in the West, a corrosive bureaucracy, and the lack of a grand strategy have caused Iran to be slow to join alliances such as Shanghai and BRICS, and to miss important opportunities in the field of South-South cooperation.

Today, more than ever, it is essential for Iran’s foreign policy to make a fundamental shift toward a bloc of independent powers and a multipolar world: abandoning the illusion of Westernization, activating economic diplomacy, aligning currency policies with the non-dollar world, strengthening transit and technological infrastructure, and formulating a national strategy to replace the dollar and expand comprehensive relations with emerging economies.

Historical task: complete deterrence

All these developments have one clear conclusion: Iran needs complete deterrence for its survival and independence . If until yesterday there was hope that peaceful nuclear technology could guarantee national rights, today the situation has changed. Iran’s enemies, from Washington to Tel Aviv, are looking for a new scenario every day for sanctions, threats, or aggression.

In such a situation, only comprehensive deterrence can save the country from the threat of aggression and collapse. This deterrence must be multifaceted:

• Relying on nuclear technology and advancing a level of power that no power can contemplate a military threat against Iran.
• Strengthening the capacities of the people, councils, and justice-seeking institutions to make society resilient against sanctions.
• Solidarity with the global South and economic-political architectures independent of the West.

Final words

We, as anti-imperialist left forces, condemn the return of sanctions and dictates of Western imperialism and loudly declare:

The era of trust in the West is over;

The era of big decisions and real deterrence has begun;

Iran must either make itself part of the global anti-imperialist architecture, or continue to pay the price of trusting long-standing enemies.

Now is the time to open a new, independent, popular, and anti-imperialist path; a path that leads to full deterrence, social justice, and solidarity with the nations of the global South.