Nuclear talks between Iran and Britain, France, and Germany are set to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported.
“Iran and the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement, along with the European Union, will hold a fresh round of discussions at the deputy foreign minister level in Geneva,” state television said Monday.
This will mark the second round of talks since Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran in mid-June, during which the United States also targeted Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The last meeting was held in Istanbul on July 25.
The talks follow Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog after the Israel conflict, with Tehran accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency of failing to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites.
The unprecedented bombardments by Israel and the US further derailed Iran’s negotiations with Washington.
Britain, France, and Germany have warned they may invoke the “snapback mechanism” under the 2015 nuclear accord, which would reimpose UN sanctions lifted under the deal, unless Iran agrees to limit its uranium enrichment and resume collaboration with IAEA inspectors.
Tehran, however, disputes the legality of such a move, accusing the Europeans of not upholding their own commitments under the agreement.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran, the UK, France, Germany, China, Russia, and the US.
It granted Iran sanctions relief in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme, ensuring Tehran could not develop nuclear weapons something it has consistently denied seeking.
But Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, and the reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its commitments, particularly on uranium enrichment.
At the time of the US withdrawal, London, Paris and Berlin reaffirmed their commitment to the agreement and said they intended to continue trading with Iran. As a result, UN and European sanctions were not reinstated, though Trump restored US sanctions.
But the mechanism envisaged by European countries to compensate for the return of US sanctions has struggled to materialise, and many Western companies have been forced to leave Iran, which is facing high inflation and an economic crisis.
The deadline for activating the snapback mechanism ends in October, but according to the Financial Times, the Europeans have offered to extend the deadline if Iran resumes nuclear talks with Washington and re-engages with the IAEA.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the Europeans have no right to do so.