Iran, E3 agree to continue nuclear talks to resolve disputes: Deputy FM
IAEA chief says Iran ready to restart technical conversations
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Friday Tehran and the European powers agreed to continue consultations on Iran’s nuclear program during “frank and detailed” nuclear talks in Istanbul.
In a post on X, Gharibabadi said he criticized the European stance on Israel’s 12-day aggression against Iran last month and discussed the so-called snapback mechanism to reimpose international sanctions against Iran during talks with officials from Germany, France and Britain.
“It was agreed that consultations on this matter will continue,” he added.
The three European countries known as E3, in recent weeks have threatened to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism if no deal is reached between Iran and the United States.
Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said during the negotiations, “Iran clearly expressed its views and opposition” to the European troika’s possible move to reinstate UN sanctions against the country.
Takht-Ravanchi added that the Iranian negotiating team also reaffirmed the country's right to uranium enrichment, as stipulated under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, insisting that such enrichment “must continue inside Iran.”
He also noted that negotiators urged that all “cruel sanctions” must be lifted “as soon as possible.”
Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks since April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel and the US launched aggressions against Iran last month, triggering the 12-day conflict.
During Iran-US talks, Washington insisted on zero uranium enrichment under any deal, which has been strongly rejected by Tehran.
Iran-IAEA technical talks
Gharibabadi also said on Tuesday that Iran has agreed to host a technical delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the coming weeks in a gesture of goodwill, following a period of heightened tensions after the US-Israeli acts of aggression.
The IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Friday that Iran has indicated that it will be ready to restart technical-level discussions the UN agency.
Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA after its latest report on Iran was used as a pretext by the Israeli regime to launch strikes on Iran.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Iran’s unwavering stance on uranium enrichment.
“The world must know that we will continue to steadfastly defend the rights of the Iranian people in peaceful nuclear energy, particularly enrichment,” Araghchi said.
He added that following the recent US-Israeli aggression, in which nearly 1,100 Iranians including military commanders, scientists and civilians were killed, it is essential for international parties to understand Iran's firm position.
“Our enrichment will continue; we will not relinquish this right,” he affirmed.
Snapback mechanism
The snapback mechanism allows for the return of anti-Iran sanctions suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal from which the US withdrew in 2018 and the European parties failed to fulfill their commitments.
The 2015 deal, reached between Iran and the UN Security Council's permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
But it unraveled when the United States, during Donald Trump's first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
The Europeans had pledged continued support for the deal, but the mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never materialized effectively and many Western firms were forced to exit Iran.