Key Points
- France confirms the talks
- Cautions that Iran faces a narrowing window of time
- Iran suspended cooperation with IAEA in July
- It was not immediately clear where the talks would take place
ISLAMABAD: Iran has said its foreign minister spoke by phone with his French, German and British counterparts to avoid the reimposition of UN sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme, just days ahead of a European deadline.
Iran will meet next week with Britain, France and Germany for talks on its nuclear programme, the parties said Friday, as the European powers warned Tehran to engage swiftly to avoid snapback sanctions, according to The Washington Post.
The Iranian government suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel, citing the UN nuclear watchdog’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
“Snapback mechanism”
The European trio — parties to the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal — have threatened to trigger a “snapback mechanism” by the end of August.
The move would reimpose sweeping UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 agreement unless Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with IAEA inspectors, according to AFP.
Narrowing window
France confirmed the talks and cautioned that Iran faced a narrowing window of time.
“We have just made an important call to our Iranian counterpart regarding the nuclear programme and the sanctions against Iran that we are preparing to reimpose,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on X, noting he was joined on the call by his British and German counterparts and the EU’s top diplomat.
“Time is running out. A new meeting will take place next week on this issue,” he added.
Avec mes collègues @DavidLammy, @AussenMinDE et @kajakallas, nous venons de passer un appel important à notre homologue iranien au sujet du programme nucléaire et des sanctions contre l’Iran que nous nous apprêtons à réappliquer.
Le temps presse. Une nouvelle rencontre aura lieu…
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) August 22, 2025
“It was agreed that Iran’s talks with the three European countries and the European Union would continue next Tuesday at the level of deputy foreign ministers,” Iran’s foreign ministry said after a phone call between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior European diplomats.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on X that his country remained “committed to diplomacy but time is very short”.
“Iran needs to engage substantively in order to avoid the activation of snapback,” he said.
Today, @DavidLammy, @jnbarrot, @kajakallas and I spoke to @araghchi about Iran’s nuclear programme. We have instructed our Political Directors to meet with Iranian counterparts next week. 1/2
— Johann Wadephul (@AussenMinDE) August 22, 2025
“We have been clear that we will not let the snapback of sanctions expire unless there is a verifiable and durable deal.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, similarly said: “With the deadline for the snapback mechanism fast approaching, Iran’s readiness to engage with the US is crucial. Iran must also fully cooperate” with the IAEA.
It was not immediately clear where the talks, the second since the Iran-Israel war, would take place.
“Consequences”
Israel in June launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear, military and civilian sites, prompting Tehran to respond with missile strikes on Israel.
The United States also joined its ally Israel, targeting key Iranian nuclear sites deep within the country.
Iran and the European trio — known as the E3 — held talks in late July at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, which Tehran described as “frank”.
Iran’s war with Israel derailed its nuclear negotiations with the United States.
The 2015 nuclear deal was aimed at preventing Iran from developing an atomic bomb — an ambition it has consistently denied.
The deal was torpedoed in 2018 when Donald Trump, during his first term as president, unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement and slapped crippling sanctions on its economy.
Iran has ever since criticised the European parties, accusing them of failing to meet their commitments under the deal.
“Legal and moral competence”
Araghchi reiterated Friday the “lack of legal and moral competence of these countries to resort to the said mechanism” while warning about “the consequences of such an action”.
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said in an interview published on Friday that the Europeans are “carrying out part of America’s operations” by pursuing the snapback mechanism.
Iran has previously said it would leave the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) if the E3 activate the snapback mechanism.
