Diplomats from Iran and Europe will gather in Istanbul on Friday to begin the most recent effort to break the impasse over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The E3 countries—Britain, France, and Germany—will meet at the Iranian consulate building for the first negotiations since Iran in June, when U.S. bombers were involved.
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The main topic of discussion is whether sanctions that were removed from Iran in 2015 could be reinstated in return for Iran agreeing to limitations and oversight of its nuclear program.
Because of the delicate nature of the discussions, a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity stated that the return of sanctions, or a “return of sanctions,” is still a possibility.
According to the diplomat, a potential postponement of the snapback has been offered to the Iranians, provided that they resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), address concerns regarding their highly-enriched uranium stockpile, and engage in credible diplomatic activities.
According to European leaders, if Iran’s nuclear program is not contained by the end of August, sanctions would be reinstated.
Tehran, on the other hand, has stated that the United States needs to restore confidence in its participation in negotiations after the 2015 agreement during the President’s first term.
Rebuilding Iran’s trust is one of the fundamental tenets of Iran’s involvement, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who also stated that Iran has zero faith in the United States.
He said that the discussions shouldn’t be used as a pretext for covert objectives like military action in a social media post on Thursday. Gharibabadi demanded that sanctions be lifted and that Iran’s legitimate requirements be taken into account when enriching uranium.
Iran has made repeated threats that if sanctions are reinstated, it will withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which binds Tehran to desist from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran is sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi to the deputy ministerial level of negotiations on Friday. In May, a similar gathering took place in Istanbul. The deputy foreign policy commissioner of the European Union is anticipated to participate, while the identities of the E3 representatives were not immediately apparent.
Along with the United States, Russia, and China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany also signed the 2015 agreement. Trump claimed the deal wasn’t strict enough when the United States withdrew in 2018. China and Russia are unable to block further penalties under the terms of the original agreement.
The E3 has been accused of hypocrisy by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for failing to fulfill their commitments while supporting Israel’s attacks following the Israeli and American raids on Iran that resulted in the destruction of American B-52 aircraft.
The future of the confrontation is still unclear in light of Iran’s response, which included missile attacks against Israel and a strike on a
European authorities have cautioned that time is running out, even while they have stated that they wish to prevent more bloodshed and are amenable to a negotiated settlement.
Despite having just terminated cooperation with the IAEA, Tehran insists it is amenable to talks.
When the IAEA revealed that Iran’s uranium stockpile had increased to nearly 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, just below weapons-grade level, it raised serious concerns for Western nations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that his country is ready for another battle and that its nuclear program will continue in accordance with international law. He also stated that Iran has no plans to pursue nuclear weapons in an interview with Al Jazeera that was broadcast on Wednesday.
Following the recent strikes by Israel and the United States, a representative for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization stated on Thursday that the nation’s nuclear industry would recover and flourish once more.
Vahdat provided coverage from Iran’s Tehran. This report was written by Stephanie Lichtenstein of the Associated Press in Vienna.
