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Europeans, Iranians meet as return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock
Representatives from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 nations, will gather at the Iranian consulate building for the first talks since Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June, which involved US bombers striking nuclear-related facilities.
The talks are centred on the possibility of reimposing sanctions on Iran that were lifted in 2015 in exchange for Iran accepting restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme.
The return of sanctions, known as a snapback mechanism, remains on the table, according to a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and that they address concerns about their highly-enriched uranium stockpile, the diplomat said.
European leaders have said sanctions will resume by the end of August if there is no progress on containing Iran's nuclear programme.
Tehran, meanwhile, has said the US, which withdrew from the 2015 deal during President Donald Trump's first term, needs to rebuild faith in its role in negotiations.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran's engagement was dependent on several key principles that included rebuilding Iran's trust as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States.
In a social media post Thursday, he also said the talks shouldn't be used as a platform for hidden agendas such as military action. Gharibabadi insisted that Iran's right to enrich uranium in line with its legitimate needs be respected and sanctions removed.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to leave the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which commits it to refrain from developing nuclear weapons, if sanctions return.
Friday's talks will be held at the deputy ministerial level, with Iran sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. A similar meeting was held in Istanbul in May. The identity of the E3 representatives were not immediately clear but the European Union's deputy foreign policy commissioner is expected to attend.
The UK, France and Germany were signatories to the 2015 deal, alongside the US, Russia and China. When the US withdrew in 2018, Trump insisted the agreement wasn't tough enough. Under the original deal, neither Russia nor China can veto reimposed sanctions.
Since the Israeli and US strikes on Iran, which saw American B-52 bombers hit three nuclear sites, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the E3 of hypocrisy, saying they failed to uphold their obligations while supporting Israel's attacks.
Against the backdrop of the conflict, which saw Iran respond with missile attacks on Israel and a strike on a US base in Qatar, the road ahead remains uncertain While European officials have said they want to avoid further conflict and are open to a negotiated solution, they have warned that time is running out.
Tehran maintains it is open to diplomacy, though it recently suspended cooperation with the IAEA.
A central concern for Western powers was highlighted when the IAEA reported in May that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 per cent just below weapons-grade level had grown to over 400 kilograms.
In an interview with Al Jazeera that aired Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is prepared for another war and reiterated that its nuclear programme will continue within the framework of international law while adding the country had no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons.
A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Thursday the country's nuclear industry would grow back and thrive again after the recent attacks by Israel and the US.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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