Gov’t spox says talks with E3 facing ‘complicated situation’
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran sees no obstacle in dialogue with European countries on various issues, describing the status of ongoing negotiations with the European troika as “complex.”
“What is now taking place between Iran and the three European countries is an exchange of views on the nuclear issue, which has faced complicated situation,” Mohajerani said in an interview with Russia's Sputnik news agency which was published on Saturday.
She said the ongoing negotiations between Iran, France, Germany and Britain are not aimed at reaching an agreement, adding that the negotiations have focused on the exchange of opinions.
Her remarks followed last week’s meeting in Istanbul between Iranian officials and representatives from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3. The closed-door session marked the first formal nuclear discussions since Israeli and US aggression against Iran in June.
The three European countries in recent weeks have threatened to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism if no deal is reached between Iran and the United States.
Reiterating threats against Iran regarding the activation of the "snapback mechanism," German foreign minister said on Saturday that his country is working together with its European partners to settle Iran’s nuclear issue through diplomatic means and to prevent the escalation of new military tension between Iran, the US, and Israel.
In response to the question about Germany’s objective in nuclear talks following the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Johann Wadephul said the European countries are talking to see whether they can negotiate on the issue or not. He said that in fact they are “negotiations for negotiations.”
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.