logo
French diplomatic source: European ministers urged Iran to immediately return to nuclear talks

French diplomatic source: European ministers urged Iran to immediately return to nuclear talks

LBCI18-07-2025
A French diplomatic source said Thursday that the foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, along with the European Union's top diplomat, told Iran's foreign minister that Tehran must immediately resume diplomatic efforts to reach a "verifiable and sustainable" nuclear agreement.
The source added that, following the first phone call between the ministers since the Israeli and U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear program in June, 'the ministers also reaffirmed their determination to trigger the snapback mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on Iran if no tangible progress is made toward such an agreement by the end of the summer.'
Reuters
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

NGOs sue Belgium to do more to stop Israel's war in Gaza
NGOs sue Belgium to do more to stop Israel's war in Gaza

L'Orient-Le Jour

time6 hours ago

  • L'Orient-Le Jour

NGOs sue Belgium to do more to stop Israel's war in Gaza

Two Belgian NGOs launched a court case on Friday seeking to pressure the country to do more to help stop Israel's war in Gaza, as the European Union struggles to take action. Belgium has been one of the most outspoken of the EU's 27 countries in seeking to call out Israel over its devastating military operation in Gaza. The EU's top diplomat floated a raft of options after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation agreement with the EU on human rights grounds. But the bloc's member states are deeply divided over their approach to the conflict and have failed to act together to take any significant measures against Israel. The two organisations behind the court case, the Belgian-Palestinian Association and National Coordination for Peace and Democracy, are pushing for Belgium to try to unilaterally halt the EU's cooperation deal with Israel. They are also demanding other steps, including the closure of the country's airspace for any flights taking military equipment to Israel. "Unless there is a sudden change, the European Union will not be able to suspend the association agreement with Israel," Vincent Letellier, a lawyer representing the NGOs, told AFP, alluding to the bloc's divisions. "Countries must now be put under pressure by their voters and by the courts." A preliminary hearing in the case was held before a judge in Brussels on Friday and complete proceedings were scheduled for Sept. 15. International criticism of Israel is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. Hamas' October 2023 attacks in Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, are dead. Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,587 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The United Nations considers the Ministry's figures to be reliable.

Iran and Europeans begin nuclear talks with questions over future UN sanctions
Iran and Europeans begin nuclear talks with questions over future UN sanctions

L'Orient-Le Jour

time9 hours ago

  • L'Orient-Le Jour

Iran and Europeans begin nuclear talks with questions over future UN sanctions

Iran pushed back on Friday on suggestions of extending a U.N. resolution that ratifies a 2015 nuclear deal as it began the first face-to-face talks with Western powers since Israel and the U.S. bombed it last month. Delegations from Iran, the European Union and the so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany arrived for talks at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. The European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 deal - from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018 - that lifted sanctions on Iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear program. A deadline of Oct. 18 is fast approaching when the resolution governing that deal expires. At that point, all U.N. sanctions on Iran will be lifted unless a "snapback" mechanism is triggered at least 30 days before. This would automatically reimpose those sanctions, which target sectors from hydrocarbons to banking and defense. To give time for this to happen, the E3 have set a deadline of the end of August to revive diplomacy. Diplomats say they want Iran to take concrete steps to convince them to extend the deadline by up to six months. Iran would need to make commitments on key issues, including eventual talks with Washington, full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and accounting for 400 kg (880 pounds) of near-weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, whose whereabouts are unknown since last month's strikes. Minutes before the talks began, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told the state news agency IRNA that Iran considered talk of extending U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 to be "meaningless and baseless". The United States held five rounds of talks with Iran prior to its airstrikes in June, which U.S. President Donald Trump said had "obliterated" a programme that Washington and its ally Israel say is aimed at acquiring a nuclear bomb. However, NBC News has cited current and former U.S. officials as saying a subsequent U.S. assessment found the strikes destroyed most of one of three targeted Iranian nuclear sites, but that the other two were not as badly damaged. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. European and Iranian diplomats say there is no prospect of Iran re-engaging with the U.S. at the negotiating table for now.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store