Germany, France, and the United Kingdom will resume negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program, a German official announced today. These European nations are scheduling discussions with Tehran for next week, following threats from the European Union (EU) to re-impose sanctions if Iran does not continue to negotiate.
Tehran Agrees to Talks Amid Sanctions Pressure
Official Tehran has agreed to talks with all three interested European countries, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone last week with the foreign ministers of the three European nations, as well as with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Kaja Kallas.
European diplomats informed Araghchi that they would reinstate measures from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal if Tehran does not make concrete progress in the negotiations. The mechanism provided by the 2015 agreement allows for the re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran in the event of non-compliance with nuclear obligations, a step the United States took when it withdrew from the deal in 2018.
Context of Recent Tensions and US Role
Tehran and Washington had held several rounds of nuclear negotiations before Israel attacked Iran on June 13. The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to join the Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities quickly ended those previous talks.
The 2015 agreement imposed significant restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
