Pakistan, July 21 — According to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran is set to conduct significant nuclear discussions with Britain, France, and Germany on Friday in Istanbul. The meeting will be at the deputy foreign minister level and comes after recent warnings from European countries that not resuming talks could lead to renewed international sanctions against Tehran.
The planned discussions follow the recent conversation between the foreign ministers of the three European nations, referred to as the E3, and the EU’s top diplomat, who spoke with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi last week. This marked their first direct contact since last month’s Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, which significantly increased tensions in the region.
Several European nations, alongside China and Russia, are the last remaining signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The agreement, initially supported by the United States, removed global sanctions in return for significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Nevertheless, the U.S. exited the pact in 2018, resulting in increased suspicion and diminished collaboration.
The E3 nations have announced their intention to activate the “snapback mechanism” to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran by the end of August, should nuclear talks remain unresolved. This process enables sanctions to be quickly reinstated if Iran is determined to be breaching the agreement’s conditions. Iranian officials have disputed the legal foundation of this action, asserting that the E3 does not possess the necessary authority to implement it.
Araqchi strongly condemned the threat of sanctions, stating that Europe needs to cease employing pressure methods and behave responsibly if it aims to be part of the resolution. He mentioned that utilizing the snapback mechanism would lack any moral or legal basis and would only hinder diplomatic attempts to address the crisis.
Prior to the latest confrontation between Israel and Iran, Tehran had already participated in five rounds of nuclear discussions with the United States, facilitated by Oman. Nevertheless, no significant progress was made because of major disagreements, particularly regarding Iran’s uranium enrichment activities. Iran asserts that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful, civilian use.
