Iran and three major European powers, namely France, Britain, and Germany, have agreed to resume nuclear talks next week despite the looming threat of unilateral sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a call with his European counterparts, during which they agreed that deputy ministers would meet on Tuesday.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul confirmed the talks, warning that Europe was prepared to re-impose United Nations sanctions under the “snapback” mechanism unless Iran committed to a verifiable and lasting deal. “Time is very short and Iran needs to engage substantively,” Wadephul said.
Araghchi rejected the threat, accusing the European trio of lacking “legal and moral competence” to trigger snapback sanctions and warning of consequences if they did so.
The European governments, backed by the United States, have accused Tehran of advancing uranium enrichment in violation of international commitments and say its program could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran maintains that its work is strictly for civilian purposes, and Western governments have not provided any evidence that Tehran is weaponizing its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has said Iran remains far from building a nuclear weapon.
In March, US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard testified that intelligence agencies had found no evidence of Iran moving towards a bomb. Talks between Iran and the US collapsed in June after Washington and Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict.
Since then, IAEA inspectors have not been allowed into Iran’s facilities, despite the agency’s chief, Rafael Grossi, stressing that inspections are essential.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned the IAEA to abandon its “double standards” if it hopes to restore cooperation over the country’s nuclear program, amid an acute mistrust following Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, and the UN nuclear watchdog’s refusal to condemn the strikes.
In July, Pezeshkian signed a law suspending Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, with Tehran making it clear that it no longer trusts the agency to act impartially.
An Iranian delegation is set to travel to Vienna on Friday to meet IAEA officials, but no further details were provided. The negotiations between Tehran and the Europeans last took place in Geneva on June 20, while the fighting was still underway, and little progress was reported at the time.