Tehran will hold nuclear talks with France, Britain and Germany on Tuesday in Geneva – the second round of meetings since Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June derailed negotiations with Washington. The European partners have threatened to trigger UN sanctions unless Tehran resumes cooperation with the IAEA nuclear watchdog.
The meeting comes after a first round of discussions in Istanbul on 25 July. During the June conflict, the United States carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following the war with Israel, accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of failing to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its facilities.
The unprecedented Israeli bombing and Iran’s retaliation during the 12-day war halted Tehran's nuclear talks with Washington.
Macron urges calm as Iran halts nuclear cooperation amid IAEA row
The European trio have threatened to trigger a "snapback mechanism" under the 2015 nuclear deal which would reimpose UN sanctions that were lifted under the agreement, unless Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with IAEA inspectors.
Iran disputes the legality of invoking the clause, accusing the Europeans of not honouring their commitments under the accord.
Britain, France and Germany, along with China, Russia, and the United States, reached an agreement with Iran in 2015 under a deal formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.
Sanctions relief
The deal provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon – something it has always denied wanting to do.
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 own 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, even as Trump restored US sanctions.
Iran says it will not halt nuclear enrichment ahead of European talks
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.
Russian support
Meanwhile, Russia's Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said Monday, in which the pair "touched on the situation around Iran's nuclear programme".
It did not elaborate on what the pair discussed.
The Iranian presidency said Pezeshkian had thanked Putin for supporting Tehran's "right to enrichment" and said Iran was "not seeking, and will never seek to build nuclear weapons".
The two countries have bolstered political, military and economic ties during Russia's military offensive on Ukraine.
Iran has regularly sought to coordinate its position with both Russia and China before key nuclear talks with the United States and Europe during the current stand-off.
(with AFP)
