Iran has announced that new discussions with European powers are set to take place on Friday in Istanbul, according to reports from the country’s state media. This marks the first round of talks since the United States launched an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities a month prior.
Diplomats from Iran are set to engage with their counterparts from Britain, France, and Germany, collectively referred to as the E3. This meeting comes in the wake of warnings from the E3 that sanctions may be reinstated against Tehran should it fail to return to negotiations regarding its nuclear program.
For years, Western nations and Israel have levelled accusations against Iran regarding its pursuit of nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran has steadfastly rejected.
“Iran has consented to initiate a new round of discussions following a request from European nations,” stated foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai, as reported by state television on Monday.
The discussions will focus on Iran’s nuclear program, it was noted.
A diplomatic source from Germany informed AFP on Sunday that the E3 are engaged in discussions with Tehran, emphasising that “Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
“Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are actively collaborating in the E3 format to seek a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear programme,” the source stated.
On June 13, Israel initiated a series of unexpected strikes against its regional adversary, focusing on significant military and nuclear installations.
On June 22, the United States initiated a series of strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program. The operations focused on the uranium enrichment facility located at Fordo, situated in Qom province south of Tehran, along with atomic sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
– Meeting at the Kremlin –
Before Israel initiated a 12-day conflict with Iran, multiple rounds of nuclear negotiations took place between Iran and the United States, facilitated by Omani mediators.
The decision by US President Donald Trump to align with Israel in targeting Iranian nuclear facilities has effectively brought the talks to a halt.
On June 21, the E3 nations convened with Iranian officials in Geneva, a meeting that took place merely one day before the US military strikes.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an unexpected meeting in the Kremlin with Ali Larijani, the chief adviser to Iran’s supreme leader regarding nuclear matters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that Larijani “conveyed assessments of the escalating situation in the Middle East and around the Iranian nuclear programme” during the unannounced meeting.
Putin articulated Russia’s established viewpoints regarding the stabilisation of the situation in the region and the political resolution of the Iranian nuclear program, he noted.
Moscow maintains a friendly rapport with Iran’s clerical leadership, offering essential support to Tehran. However, it has not decisively aligned itself with its partner, even in the wake of the United States joining Israel’s bombing campaign.
Snapback mechanism
In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which imposed substantial limitations on Tehran’s nuclear program in return for the easing of sanctions.
The fragile agreement began to deteriorate in 2018, during the initial term of Trump’s presidency, as the United States withdrew from the accord and reinstated sanctions against Iran.
In recent days, European nations have issued warnings regarding the potential activation of the deal’s “snapback” mechanism, a provision that allows for the reinstatement of sanctions if Iran fails to comply.
Following a discussion with his European counterparts on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Western allies had “absolutely no moral (or) legal grounds” for reinstating the snapback sanctions.
He provided further details in a social media post on Sunday.
“Through their actions and statements, including the provision of political and material support for the recent unprovoked and illegal military aggression by the Israeli regime and the US, the E3 have forfeited their status as ‘Participants’ in the JCPOA,” stated Araghchi.
He stated that any effort to reinstate the terminated UN Security Council resolutions would be considered “null and void.”
“Iran has demonstrated its ability to counter any misguided ‘dirty work’ while consistently remaining open to engaging in sincere and constructive diplomacy,” Araghchi stated.
On Sunday, a German source indicated that “if no solution is reached over the summer, snapback remains an option for the E3.”
Ali Velayati, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated last week that new nuclear negotiations with the United States would not occur if they required Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
