German, British and French diplomats en route to Istanbul to meet Iranian counterparts for first time since war with Israel, as powers weigh reimposing UN sanctions
Iranian diplomats will meet counterparts from Germany, Britain and France on Friday for renewed nuclear talks amid warnings that the three European powers could trigger “snapback” sanctions outlined under the since-abandoned 2015 deal.
The meeting, set to take place in Istanbul, will be the first since Israel’s mid-June attack on Iran, which the Jewish state says was carried out due to an imminent threat of Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel’s attack, which sparked a 12-day war, targeted key nuclear and military sites.
Israel’s offensive — which killed top commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others as residential areas were struck as well — also derailed US-Iran nuclear talks that began in April.
The option to trigger the snapback expires in October, and Tehran has warned of consequences should the E3 opt to activate it.
“Inaction by the E3 is not an option,” a European source said, noting that Tehran would be reminded during the meeting that the snapback window closes this autumn.
The source said Europeans are preparing to trigger the mechanism “in the absence of a negotiated solution” and called on Iran to make “clear gestures” regarding uranium enrichment and the resumption of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who will attend the talks Friday, alongside senior Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, warned this week that triggering sanctions “is completely illegal.”
“We have warned them of the risks, but we are still seeking common ground to manage the situation,” said Gharibabadi.
Sanctions
Iranian diplomats have previously warned that Tehran could withdraw from the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty if UN sanctions are reimposed. Restoring sanctions would deepen Iran’s international isolation and place further pressure on its already strained economy.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has urged European powers to trigger the mechanism.
Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran came two days before Tehran and Washington were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of nuclear negotiations.
The US joined the Israeli air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure on June 22, striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
Iran responded to the Israeli attacks with near-daily barrages of missiles at cities, killing 28 people and wounding thousands, according to health officials and hospitals. Some of the missiles hit apartment buildings, a university and a hospital, causing heavy damage.
Before the war, Washington and Tehran were divided over uranium enrichment, which Iran has described as a “non-negotiable” right, while the US called it a “red line.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is enriching uranium to 60 percent purity — far above the 3.67% cap under the 2015 deal and close to weapons-grade levels.
Tehran has said it is open to discussing the rate and level of enrichment, but not the right to enrich uranium.
A year after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran began rolling back its commitments, which had placed restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Israel and Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons — a charge Tehran has consistently denied, though it has been enriching uranium to levels that have no civilian application while regularly threatening to annihilate Israel.
‘National pride’
Iran insists it will not abandon its nuclear program, which Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called a source of “national pride.”
“Especially after the recent war, it is important for them to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue. We will not give up this right of the Iranian people,” Araghchi said on the eve of the Istanbul talks.
The full extent of the damage sustained in the US bombing remains unclear. Trump has claimed the sites were “completely destroyed,” but US media reports have cast doubt over the scale of destruction.
Araghchi has noted that enrichment has currently “stopped” due to “serious and severe” damage to nuclear sites caused by US and Israeli strikes.
Since the 12-day war, Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA, accusing it of bias and failing to condemn the attacks.
Inspectors have since left the country, but a technical team is expected to return in the coming weeks after Iran said future cooperation would take a “new form.”
Israel has warned it may resume strikes if Iran rebuilds facilities or moves toward weapons capability.
Iran has pledged a “harsh response” to any future attacks.
