Iran and E3 countries to resume nuclear talks in Geneva amid renewed tensions

Nuclear talks at the deputy foreign minister level between Iran and the E3 countries—United Kingdom, France, and Germany—are scheduled to take place on August 26 in Switzerland.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will be held on August 26 in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Representing Iran at these deputy foreign minister-level negotiations will be Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi.

This meeting will mark the second round of talks following a twelve-day war between Iran and Israel in mid-June. The first round took place in Istanbul on July 25.

During the aforementioned conflict, Israel targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, and Iran retaliated, disrupting Tehran’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with the US. Subsequently, Iran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing the agency’s failure to condemn the attacks by Israel and the US.

The European parties to the nuclear agreement have threatened to trigger the “snapback mechanism” under the 2015 nuclear accord—reinstating United Nations sanctions—if Iran does not limit uranium enrichment and resume cooperation with IAEA inspectors. Tehran, however, argues that this move is unlawful and accuses the Europeans of failing to meet their obligations.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with China, Russia, the US, and the E3 countries—United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The agreement imposed significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions, aiming to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran maintains it has never intended to develop nuclear weapons.

However, after the US, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed severe economic sanctions, Iran began retracting its own commitments, notably increasing its uranium enrichment activities.

Following the US withdrawal, the E3 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the agreement and expressed a desire to continue trading with Iran. As a result, United Nations and European sanctions were not reinstated. However, Europe’s mechanism to mitigate the impact of US sanctions could not be implemented, forcing many Western companies to withdraw from Iran. Today, the country faces high inflation and a severe economic crisis.

The mechanism allowing for the reimposition of UN sanctions will expire in October. According to a report by Financial Times, the Europeans have proposed to extend this period if Iran resumes negotiations with the US and cooperates again with the IAEA.