Iran to hold nuclear talks with European powers on Friday
The talks scheduled for Friday come after foreign ministers of the three nations as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the US withdrew in 2018 - that lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
They have said they would restore UN sanctions on Tehran via the "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the US before the Israel-Iran air war do not resume or fail to produce concrete results.
"If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground," Araqchi said earlier in the week.
The snapback mechanism can be used to restore UN sanctions before the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the deal expires on October 18.
Prior to the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
19 minutes ago
- Zawya
Meta to halt political advertising in EU from October, blames EU rules
Meta Platforms will end political, electoral, social issue advertising on its platform in the European Union in early October because of the legal uncertainties due to EU rules targeting political advertising, the U.S. social media company said on Friday. Meta's announcement echoed Alphabet unit Google's decision announced last November, underscoring Big Tech's pushback against EU rules aimed at reining in their power and making sure that they are more accountable and transparent. The European Union legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation and which will apply from Oct. 10, was triggered by concerns about disinformation and foreign interference in elections across the 27-country bloc. The EU law requires Big Tech companies to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much as well as which elections are being targeted or risk fines up to 6% of their annual turnover. "From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU," Meta said in a blog post. "This is a difficult decision - one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties," it said. Meta said TTPA obligations create what it said is an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU. It said the EU rules will ultimately hurt Europeans. "We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse," Meta said. "Regulations, like the TTPA, significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting effectiveness of advertisers' outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information," the company added.
Middle East Eye
25 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Turkey eyes closer Egypt ties with crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood
Turkey has deported an Egyptian citizen accused of membership in the Muslim Brotherhood, Middle East Eye has learned. Mohamed Abdelhafiz, a long-term legal resident of Turkey, was detained at Istanbul Airport on Monday upon returning from a business trip to Africa. The Muslim Brotherhood is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Egypt and was the subject of an intense crackdown after a military coup there in 2013. Thousands of members and sympathisers of the group fled Egypt in the aftermath of the coup, with many seeking refuge in Turkey. Turkish sources familiar with the case told MEE that a no-entry ban had been imposed on Abdelhafiz, triggering his automatic deportation to a third country. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Ankara typically refrains from deporting individuals to nations where they risk ill-treatment or the death penalty. However, the move suggests the Turkish government has taken an unprecedented decision to move against Abdelhafiz. 'Hasm' movement Egyptian officials accuse Abdelhafiz of being a member of the Hasm movement, which Cairo claims is an armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. His detention and deportation coincided with Egypt's announcement on Monday that it had thwarted an attack allegedly planned by Hasm. Turkey flexes muscles with new bunker buster and hypersonic weapons Read More » Last year, Ankara reconciled its relationship with Cairo after years of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. Current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a 2013 military coup that ousted the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi. Since then, many Egyptian dissidents who found refuge in Turkey have faced increasing pressure, including the forced closure of TV channels such as Mekameleen, which were compelled to relocate their operations to Europe in 2022. Gulden Sonmez, Abdelhafiz's lawyer, told MEE that Ankara's decision to deport her client to a third country was a mistake. 'He could still be deported to Egypt from a third nation, given that Cairo now has extradition treaties or other agreements with many regional countries to ensure their return,' she said. For this reason, Abdelhafiz's current location remains undisclosed to protect him from further deportation and potential rights violations. There is growing anxiety among Egyptian dissidents living in Turkey, who report an escalating crackdown as part of Ankara's broader anti-immigrant policies. Sonmez concurs, noting that recent developments suggest a deliberate policy of detaining Egyptian citizens and placing them in deportation centres for the foreseeable future. On Monday, Al Arabiya reported ongoing security contacts between Cairo and Ankara regarding the extradition of Muslim Brotherhood members allegedly involved in terrorist activities in Egypt. The channel added that Egypt had provided Turkey with a security file detailing Muslim Brotherhood members 'planning terrorist operations'. Gokhan Cinkara, a regional affairs academic at Necmettin Erbakan University, said that Egypt appears to have reopened the Muslim Brotherhood file, which it had set aside during the recent rapprochement period. 'Security coordination between Egypt and Turkey is critically important in regions such as Libya, Syria and the Gulf,' he told MEE. Haftar rapprochement One key aspect of this cooperation concerns Libya. Khalifa Haftar, the de facto ruler of eastern Libya and a close ally of Cairo, has recently sought to improve relations with Ankara. As part of this realignment, Haftar has reportedly initiated steps to ratify a maritime agreement with Turkey through Libya's House of Representatives, based in Tobruk. If finalised, the move could bolster Ankara's claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly against Greece. Turkey taps Austrian bank for Russian gas payments to skip sanctions Read More » MEE has reported that Cairo is opposed to Haftar's move to ratify the deal. 'While it is difficult to predict what strain the cases of Abdelhafiz and six other wanted individuals might place on Turkey-Egypt relations, it is clear that Turkey wishes to maintain its diplomatic momentum,' Cinkara added. 'At the same time, the ruling AK Party is cautious not to alienate segments of its traditional voter base with such actions.' An Egyptian security official told The National this week that Turkey has so far refused to hand over several high-ranking Muslim Brotherhood members, despite their alleged involvement in violent operations targeting Egyptian officials. Instead, Ankara has opted to restrict their activities within Turkey rather than extradite them to face charges in Egypt. Figures such as Yahya Moussa and Alaa al-Samahi, both named in an Egyptian interior ministry statement, are still believed to be living in Turkey, according to the official.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel releases video accusing UN of refusing to distribute aid
Israel has released a YouTube advert attacking the UN and has claimed that the organisation is responsible for preventing aid from getting into Gaza. The video claims that Israel has already "cleared hundreds of trucks". The advert, published on Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry's verified channel on YouTube, shows visuals of trucks and what appear to be stockpiles of aid. "While Israel cleared hundreds of trucks that crossed into Gaza, the UN refuses to distribute the aid. These trucks stand idle inside Gaza next to growing stockpiles of supplies. This is deliberate sabotage by the UN," the narrator says in the video. Israeli forces have been shooting and killing aid seekers in Gaza daily. Since morning, the Israeli military has killed more than 11 Palestinians, including at least four aid seekers. Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday that at least 115 Palestinians have starved to death in the enclave due to the Israeli-imposed blockade
