Britain, France and Germany are prepared to delay a looming UN deadline to reimpose international sanctions on Iran if Tehran agrees to resume talks with Washington and cooperate with UN nuclear inspectors, Western diplomats told the Financial Times.
The proposal is expected to be presented during talks in Istanbul on Friday, the first direct meeting between European officials and Iranian negotiators since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, which briefly involved the US, FT reported on Friday.
The offer would postpone the so-called snapback mechanism tied to the 2015 nuclear deal, which could automatically reinstate UN sanctions as early as mid-September unless Iran returns to negotiations. Any extension would likely require a UN Security Council resolution, diplomats told FT.
Iran says Europe lacks legal standing
Iran’s foreign ministry dismissed the European proposal as both illegitimate and irrelevant. “When the premise of restoring sanctions has no legal or logical basis, and the European parties themselves lack the authority to take such action, then talk of extending Resolution 2231 is doubly meaningless and groundless,” ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Friday.
He added that the European trio had disqualified themselves by violating their own commitments under the 2015 deal and backing US and Israeli military action. “The Istanbul meeting is a chance for them to correct course, if they want to avoid further eroding their credibility.”
Iran insists enrichment will continue
Iran has suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency since the June strikes on its nuclear facilities. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said this week that a technical team from the agency would visit Tehran soon to discuss a “new modality” for cooperation, excluding access to nuclear sites.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television on Thursday that the upcoming talks did not signal any shift in Tehran’s position. “Uranium enrichment will continue and we will not compromise on the Iranian nation’s rights,” he said.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, while the US maintains that Tehran must abandon enrichment before talks resume. The IAEA has said Iran could restart uranium production “within months.”
