KEY POINTS
- Putin and Pezeshkian discuss Iran’s nuclear programme in a phone call.
- Britain, France and Germany warned of UN sanctions if talks with the US stall.
- Iran will meet the European trio in Geneva on Tuesday.
- Pezeshkian thanked Putin for backing Iran’s right to uranium enrichment.
- Russia opposes sanctions, calling European threats a destabilising factor.
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian discussed Tehran’s nuclear programme on Monday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, as European powers warned they may reimpose sanctions if talks with the United States show no progress.
Britain, France and Germany have threatened to trigger a “snapback mechanism” to reintroduce UN sanctions that were lifted under the agreement unless Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) inspectors.
Iran will hold talks with the European trio in Geneva on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported.
Putin held a phone call with Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said Monday, in which the pair “touched on the situation around Iran’s nuclear programme”.
The Iranian presidency said Pezeshkian had thanked Putin for supporting Tehran’s “right to enrichment” and said Iran was “not seeking, and will never seek to build nuclear weapons”.
Putin and Pezeshkian also reviewed the regional and international issues, including the Ukraine crisis, and developments in the South Caucasus, Tasnim reported.
In the telephone conversation, Putin briefed Pezeshkian on the main outcomes of his recent summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska’s Anchorage, the Kremlin reported.
The Iranian president expressed support for the ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, Tasnim reported.
Putin and Pezeshkian reaffirmed their commitment to further expanding Russian-Iranian cooperation in various areas and agreed to meet at the upcoming SCO summit in China, according to Tasnim news agency.
Iran has regularly sought to coordinate its position with both Russia and China before key nuclear talks with the United States and Europe during the current stand-off.
Russia’s Kommersant business paper reported Monday that Moscow opposed the idea of “snapback” sanctions.
“The threats by Britain, Germany and France to activate the mechanism for reintroducing previously suspended UN sanctions against Iran are a serious destabilising factor,” the paper cited the foreign ministry as telling it in a statement.
Russia is a party to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
🇷🇺🇮🇷📞 On August 25, Presidents Vladimir #Putin & @drpezeshkian spoke over the phone
The two Leaders discussed bilateral issues, including in energy & transport, the situation around Iran's nuclear programme & developments in South Caucasushttps://t.co/Mxr7iTjO5i#RussiaIran pic.twitter.com/ArS7JRggHl
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) August 25, 2025
Tehran disputes the legality of invoking the treaty’s snapback clause, accusing the Europeans of not honouring their own commitments under the accord.
Iran suspended cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog following a 12-day war with Israel earlier this year, with Tehran pointing to the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
