Iran’s FM says European countries appear serious about reviving nuclear deal
Tehran has held two rounds of talks with Britain, Germany, France concerning a deal in last two months, ahead of Trump’s return to White House next week
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that European powers appeared serious about finding ways to revive nuclear negotiations after talks in Geneva.
“The talks with the three European countries are aimed at exploring how we can return to the nuclear negotiations,” said Araghchi in an interview with state TV.
He said the discussions were “positive and we felt the seriousness … and (the European parties’) desire for a negotiated solution.”
“We do not know whether the new US administration intends to return to the negotiations,” he added.
Officials from Iran held talks on Monday and Tuesday with counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, which both sides described as “frank and constructive.”
The discussions took place a week before US President-elect Donald Trump, who pursued a “maximum pressure” policy of intensified sanctions against Iran during his first term in office, was due to return to the White House.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the discussions revolved around lifting sanctions as well as other issues.
On Tuesday, European Union diplomat Enrique Mora said he held a “constructive meeting” with Iranian officials on “exploring ways for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.”
The talks were the second round in less than two months, following a meeting in Geneva last November.
In 2015, Iran and world powers — including France, Britain and Germany — reached an agreement that eased international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
However, the United States, during Trump’s first term in office in 2018, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed biting economic sanctions.
Tehran adhered to the deal until Washington’s withdrawal but then began rolling back its commitments.
Iran has repeatedly expressed willingness to revive the deal.
The Islamic regime maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.
However, Iran, which is sworn to destroy Israel, has in recent years increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium, and it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog says.
That level is well on the way to the 90% required for an atomic bomb and beyond anything needed for a civilian nuclear program.
