Iran May Engage in Nuclear Talks with Europe Next Week: Report

• E3 nations consider reintroducing international sanctions on Iran.
• Sanctions may be enforced through a “snapback mechanism” by the end of August.
• This report follows the E3 foreign ministers’ initial call with Iran’s FM.

According to a report by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday, discussions between Iran, Britain, France, and Germany regarding Tehran’s nuclear program could take place next week. This comes after the three European nations issued warnings that not resuming negotiations would lead to the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran.

“The agreement to hold talks has been established, but details regarding the timing and location are still being finalized,” Tasnim quoted an informed source.

The news of potential talks arises just days after the foreign ministers of the E3 nations and the EU’s foreign policy chief had their first conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since the recent Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

The E3—comprising Britain, France, and Germany—alongside China and Russia, remains part of a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018. This deal was pivotal in lifting sanctions on Iran in exchange for limiting its nuclear activities.

The E3 has indicated that they would reinstate UN sanctions against Tehran through a “snapback mechanism” by the end of August if there is no resumption of nuclear negotiations that had previously taken place between Iran and the U.S. before the recent military exchanges between Israel and Iran.

“If the EU/E3 aim to play a constructive role, they need to act responsibly and abandon their outdated policies of threats and pressure, including the ‘snapback’ for which they hold no moral or legal foundation,” Araqchi stated earlier this week.

The snapback mechanism allows for the restoration of UN sanctions before the expiration of the UN Security Council resolution that formalized the deal on October 18.

Prior to the conflict, five rounds of nuclear negotiations had taken place between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Oman, but challenges such as Iran’s uranium enrichment—which Western nations seek to curtail completely—posed significant hurdles.

Tehran asserts that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes.