Iran agrees to resume nuclear talks with European states
The time and location are still under negotiation, but the talks are expected to take place at the level of deputy foreign ministers from Iran and the three European countries, according to the agency.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned last week that the three European countries – known collectively as the E3 – would reactivate UN sanctions on Iran unless a nuclear deal is reached by the end of next month.
'France and its partners are... justified in reapplying global embargoes on weapons, banks, and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago,' he told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday. He added that this would be done 'by the end of August at the latest.'
The E3 have the ability to use a 'snapback' mechanism to reinstate sanctions lifted from Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, in exchange for the curtailment of the country's nuclear program.
The original guarantors of the agreement were the E3 countries, Russia, China, the US, and EU. However, during his first term in office, President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has urged the E3 states and the EU to 'act responsibly' and stop using threats, arguing that they have 'no moral or legal basis' for using the snapback mechanism.
'It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal – coordinated by the EU in 2015 – not Iran,' he said in a Telegram post on Friday. 'It was the US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead.'
US-Iran nuclear talks brokered by Oman collapsed last month shortly after Israel attacked Iran on June 13, claiming it was preempting the development of a nuclear bomb – an accusation that the Islamic Republic has denied. The US joined the conflict on June 22 and bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Kremlin comments on possible Putin-Trump meeting in Beijing
Russia is ready to discuss holding talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump should the latter attend commemorative events in Beijing in September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday. The Chinese capital will host a military parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Putin has already accepted an invitation to attend. Speculation has grown over a possible meeting involving Putin, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the celebrations. Japan's Kyodo News reported that the Chinese government has decided to invite Trump, while The Times suggested that Beijing is positioning itself to host a trilateral summit. Chinese officials have not confirmed the reports. 'If it so happens that [Trump] is there, then, of course, we cannot rule out that the question of the expediency of holding a meeting will be raised,' Peskov told reporters on Monday, noting that the Kremlin has not yet heard whether Trump is going to Beijing. The day before the Kremlin spokesman said that although a meeting between the two would definitely happen in the future, it would require a lot of preparation, and the time has not yet come. The speculation followed a phone call between Trump and Xi in June, during which the US president said he had been invited to visit China, though no date was specified. Putin and Trump have spoken by phone multiple times in recent months, focusing on efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Trump recently criticized Putin, accusing him of resisting a settlement. The Kremlin responded by saying it viewed the criticism calmly and intended to maintain dialogue with Washington. Beijing has continued to position itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for a 'fair, lasting, and binding' peace agreement and urged all sides to prioritize a ceasefire and political dialogue. China has also expressed support for renewed direct talks between Moscow and Kiev. The last time Putin and Trump met in person was during the 2018 Russia-US Summit in Helsinki, Finland.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
UK wants ‘50-day drive' to arm Ukraine
UK Defense Secretary John Healey is set to urge Ukraine's backers to launch a '50-day drive' to arm Kiev, local media have reported. The plan follows US President Donald Trump's threat to impose secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners within 50 days if no progress is made on resolving the conflict. Healey is expected to make the appeal when he leads a virtual session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Monday. The minister is also poised to back Trump's plan and pledge the UK's support to 'bolster Ukraine's immediate fight.' 'The US has started the clock on a 50-day deadline for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to agree to peace or face crippling economic sanctions… We need to step up in turn with a '50-day drive' to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and force Putin to the negotiating table,' he is expected to say. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 50-day ceasefire deadline on Russia, warning of 'very severe' new sanctions, including 100% 'secondary tariffs' on countries buying Russian oil. He also announced new weapons deliveries to Ukraine, noting that the EU will foot the bill. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump's remarks 'will be perceived by the Ukrainian side not as a signal toward peace, but as a signal to continue the war.' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stressed that Moscow will not cave in to any ultimatums but is still open to talks. While the UK has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, Luke Pollard, the country's armed forces minister, warned last autumn of dwindling stockpiles due to years of military deliveries. Moscow has consistently denounced Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, warning they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome. It has also accused the EU and UK of impeding ongoing peace efforts. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday voiced concern over what he described as declining interest among the British public in the Ukraine conflict. He added that the current government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is 'distracted' by 'a lot of domestic issues.'
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
X blasts French criminal probe as ‘politically motivated'
Social media network X has accused the French authorities of a 'politically motivated criminal investigation,' over a probe launched against the platform for alleged algorithm manipulation and 'fraudulent data extraction.' X's Global Government Affairs team said on Monday that the investigation was instigated by Eric Bothorel, a French MP and member of President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party. The probe itself kicked off in January after Bothorel and another senior French official alleged that the company's algorithm was being used for the purposes of 'foreign interference.' X has denied all of the accusations against it. Bothorel has previously been critical of X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, claiming that the network spreads 'an enormous amount of hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+ and homophobic political content' which allegedly influences France's political discourse. According to the platform, French authorities had asked X to grant them a 'recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts' to be handed over to experts who were overtly hostile to the platform. X also protested being investigated as an 'organized gang,' a classification that allows French police to use extensive powers, including wiretapping employees' devices. The platform stressed it has refused the authorities' demands. X remains in the dark as to the specific allegations made against the platform. However, based on what we know so far, X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech. The probe echoes another high-profile case in France involving Telegram founder Pavel Durov. The Russian-born tech billionaire was arrested in the country last summer and charged with offenses linked to Telegram's handling of illegal content, including child exploitation material and narcotics trafficking. Durov has dismissed the allegations as 'baseless.' Commenting on the reports on X being in the crosshairs of the French authorities, Durov accused Paris of pursuing a 'crusade' against free speech and progress itself while warning that the probe could end up damaging the French economy.
