A new round of nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic and three European states will take place Tuesday, in Geneva, with Deputy FM Majid Takht-Ravanchi heading the Iranian delegation, Iran’s Tasnim News reported Monday.
Deputy foreign ministers from Germany, France and the UK will also attend, the Revolutionary Guards-affiliated outlet said citing an informed source.
“The agenda of these negotiations is nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions,” the source said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday spoke with his counterparts in the three European capitals and the European Union’s foreign policy chief over the phone, where the snapback mechanism was discussed. The calls led to agreement to continue talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Snapback debate intensifies
In recent days speculation has mounted over the future of Tehran’s nuclear activities, with the European trio weighing activation of the snapback provision and the Islamic Republic signaling possible responses.
The looming expiry of UN Security Council Resolution 2231’s legal framework has spurred Iranian officials and allies to step up legal consultations aimed at blocking the mechanism.
Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — have warned Iran that unless it returns to nuclear talks by the end of August, they will trigger the mechanism that could reimpose all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday discussed Iran’s nuclear case, recent European moves, and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in a phone call.
Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also warned that Germany, France and the UK may move to trigger snapback mechanism, but said “important countries” remain divided on how to proceed.
He raised the possibility of Iran’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying, “This assumption has always existed. The reality is that the NPT has had no benefit for us.”
Before the 12-day war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks, but negotiations collapsed when Islamic Republic officials insisted uranium enrichment must continue inside Iran.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday rejected calls by Tehran moderates for direct negotiations with the United States, insisting that Washington’s hostility cannot be resolved through talks.
