Latest news with #Iran-Europe
Leaders
3 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
IAEA to Visit Iran Within Next Two Weeks
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei announced on Monday that the United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit Iran within the next two weeks, according to Arab News. The announcement came after IAEA's director unveiled that Tehran is ready to restart technical conversations. Baghaei noted that Iran will present a manual concerning the future of Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. It will be based on a recent parliamentary bill restricting such cooperation. Iran & IAEA Relations Iranian relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have deteriorated since the United States and Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June in order to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. In June, the Iranian Guardian Council approved a law suspending Tehran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, Arab News reported. According to the new law, the IAEA should have approval by the Supreme National Security Council for any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites. 'For us, IAEA inspectors approaching nuclear sites has both a security aspect … and the safety of the inspectors themselves is a matter that must be examined,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said. He also told Tehran-based diplomats that Iran's cooperation with the nuclear watchdog has not stopped. However, it will take a new form and will be guided and managed through the Supreme National Security Council. This legislative move came as a response to a series of escalations that began on June 13, when Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Consequently, the US launched several airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Related Topics: Iran-Europe Nuclear Talks Loom as Sanctions Deadline Nears Iran Had No Intension to Give up on Nuclear Enrichment Putin Holds Nuclear Talks with Iran's Top Adviser Larijani Short link : Post Views: 6
France 24
16-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Iran, European powers meet amid tensions over nuclear deal
Iran met with European powers on Friday to discuss its nuclear negotiations with Washington, while US President Donald Trump issued a new threat unless the Iranians "move quickly" towards a deal. The meeting in Istanbul followed remarks by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning of "irreversible" consequences if Britain, France and Germany move to reimpose United Nations sanctions that were lifted under a landmark 2015 agreement. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended the talks in the Turkish city, said in a post on X: "We exchanged views and discussed the latest status of the indirect nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions." Gharibabadi added that, if necessary, Tehran would meet again with the so-called E3 – the European parties to the 2015 deal along with China, Russia and the United States – to continue discussions, after several meetings since last year. Trump had effectively torpedoed the deal during his first term, by unilaterally abandoning it in 2018 and reimposing sanctions on Iran's banking sector and oil exports. A year later, Iran responded by rolling back its own commitments under the deal, which provided relief from sanctions in return for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities. Speaking Friday in Abu Dhabi, Trump said that his administration had handed Iran a proposal for a new agreement, after four rounds of negotiations in recent weeks. Iran-Europe nuclear talks in Istanbul with Trump's shadow looming 04:59 "They have a proposal, but more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen," Trump said. Araghchi later wrote on X that "Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly". He added that an agreement can be reached if Washington lifts sanctions and respects "our rights" – including to enrich uranium. "Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes," Araghchi said. The Iran-US talks mediated by Oman were the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington abandoned the nuclear accord. 'Sustain diplomacy' The three European powers have been weighing whether to trigger the 2015 deal's "snapback" mechanism, which would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance – an option that expires in October. 02:57 Such a stance "risks provoking a global nuclear proliferation crisis that would primarily affect Europeans themselves", Iran's top diplomat has warned. However, writing in the French weekly Le Point, he also noted that Tehran was "ready to turn the page" in its relations with Europe. Gharibabadi said after Friday's meeting that "Iran and the three European countries are determined to sustain and make optimal use of diplomacy". In a post on X, the UK Foreign Office's political director, Christian Turner, said the parties reaffirmed their "commitment to dialogue, welcomed ongoing US/Iran talks, and given urgency, agreed to meet again". A US official said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Friday with the French, British and German national security advisers in Istanbul for talks on Iran and Ukraine. Araghchi has said that the talks with the Europeans and the United States were proceeding on separate tracks. China, which held recent talks with Iran on its nuclear programme, said ahead of Friday's talks that it remained "committed to promoting a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iran issue". 'Getting close' Speaking on a visit to Qatar Thursday, Trump said the United States was "getting close" to a deal with Iran that would avert military action. "We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran," he said. Since returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" policy on Tehran, backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails. Trump has said he presented Iran's leadership with an "olive branch", adding that it was an offer that would not last forever. He further threatened to impose "massive maximum pressure", including driving Iranian oil exports to zero if talks failed. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. A look at the history of Iran's nuclear programme 01:45 Tehran insists its right to continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes is "non-negotiable" but says it would be open to temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level. On Wednesday, Iran's atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami reiterated that Tehran "does not seek nuclear militarisation", adding that enrichment was under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog. "The dismantling of enrichment is not accepted by Iran," he stressed.
Rudaw Net
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iran confirms meeting with E3 in Istanbul as US talks loom
Also in Iran Iran criticizes fresh US sanctions amid ongoing nuclear talks Trump warns Iran of massive pressure if it does accept 'olive branch' US presses fresh sanctions against Iran amid nuclear talks Iran says 'fully prepared' for military confrontation A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran's foreign minister confirmed that a meeting with European countries over Tehran's nuclear program is set to take place in Istanbul on Friday, as US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the nuclear talks. 'The next round of Iran-Europe talks at the level of deputy foreign ministers will be held in Istanbul on Friday, May 16,' Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Wednesday, as cited by the state IRNA news agency. The talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Istanbul come as Tehran and Washington are expected to hold a fifth round of nuclear talks in the coming days. Britain, France, and Germany were part of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers that Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018. 'Unfortunately, it is the Europeans themselves who have become somewhat isolated in these talks with their own policies. We do not want such a situation and have continued our talks,' Araghchi said. Trump on Wednesday expressed hope that the nuclear talks with Iran will bear fruit. "It's been really an interesting situation. I have a feeling it's going to work out,' Trump said during his Middle East tour, after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the meeting will focus on consultations and discussions on the indirect Tehran-Washington talks. On Sunday, Araghchi condemned the European powers for using the 'snapback' mechanism, 'initially intended as a last resort,' as 'diplomatic leverage.' 'Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences—not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible,' he said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in late April that the E3 "will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions" scrapped a decade ago if European security is threatened by Iran's nuclear activities. In December, Iran warned European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal that the possible activation of the agreement's 'snapback' provisions - triggering the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions - would compel Tehran to exit the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The 'snapback' mechanism is set to expire in October. Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions. But the deal began unraveling in 2018 when Trump, during his first term, unilaterally withdrew the US and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran, which in turn began rolling back on its nuclear commitments. Tehran, however, has repeatedly asserted that atomic weapons go against the Islamic republic's doctrine and has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Hans India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Iran warns European powers against 'abusing' snapback mechanism
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned France, Britain, and Germany of the consequences for "abusing" the snapback mechanism. He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X on Monday while reacting to remarks by the E3 group of France, Britain, and Germany to trigger the snapback mechanism against Iran. The mechanism is a clause in the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran and world powers that would allow the other parties to re-impose all international sanctions should Tehran fail to comply with the agreement. "We have officially warned all JCPOA signatories that (any) abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences -- not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible," Araghchi said. "How we respond at this crucial moment will determine the future of Iran-Europe relations far more profoundly than many realize," he noted. Araghchi voiced Iran's readiness "to turn the page," expressing hope that its European partners would demonstrate the same willingness, Xinhua news agency reported. Late last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, "It goes without saying that once the Iranian nuclear deal expires in a few weeks, if European security interests are not assured, we will not hesitate for a second to reapply all the sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago." This comes as Iran and the United States have held four rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear programme and the removal of Washington's sanctions over the past few weeks. Iran signed the JCPOA in 2015 with six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States, led by President Donald Trump during his first term, unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to gradually reduce compliance with its nuclear commitments. Efforts to revive the agreement have not achieved substantial progress.
