Iran to hold nuclear talks with 3 European powers on Friday
The talks scheduled for Friday come after foreign ministers of the E3 nations, as those European countries are known, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi since Israel and the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran, from which the US withdrew in 2018, that had lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
'The meeting between Iran, Britain, France and Germany will take place at the deputy foreign minister level,' Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, was quoted by Iranian state media as saying.
The E3 have said they would restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the US, before Israel launched a surprise attack, do not resume or fail to produce concrete results.
Iran has accused the US of complicity in the Israeli attack, which killed top Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and hundreds of civilians. The US also launched strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, claiming to have 'obliterated' them. A ceasefire took effect on June 24.
'If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely moral and legal ground,' Araghchi said last week.
Before the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation.
Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is solely meant for civilian purposes.
Middle East assessments
Also on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a surprise meeting in the Kremlin with Ali Larijani, the top adviser to Iran's supreme leader on nuclear issues.
Larijani 'conveyed assessments of the escalating situation in the Middle East and around the Iranian nuclear programme', Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the unannounced meeting.
Putin expressed Russia's 'well-known positions on how to stabilise the situation in the region and on the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear programme', he added.
Moscow has a cordial relationship with Iran's clerical leadership and provides crucial backing for Tehran, but it did not swing forcefully behind its partner even after the US joined Israel's bombing campaign.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran reaffirms right to enrich uranium ahead of key talks in Turkiye
Iran has reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium on the eve of a key meeting with European powers threatening to reimpose nuclear sanctions. Friday's meeting, set to take place in Istanbul, will bring Iranian officials together with officials from Britain, France and Germany – known as the E3 nations – and will include the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. It will be the first since Israel's mid-June attack targeting key Iranian nuclear and military sites led to a 12-day war that ended in a ceasefire on June 24. 'Especially after the recent war, it is important for them [European countries] to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue,' the Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying on Thursday. The United States joined its ally Israel in the offensive, striking three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight between June 21 and 22. Israel launched its attack on Iran just two days before Tehran and Washington were set to resume negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday that Tehran would be prepared to engage in further talks on its nuclear programme with the US if Washington takes meaningful steps to rebuild trust. In a social media post, Gharibabadi also said that for talks to take place with the US, Tehran would seek 'several key principles' to be upheld. These include 'rebuilding Iran's trust – as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States', he said, adding there could be no room 'for hidden agendas such as military action, though Iran remains fully prepared for any scenario'. Britain, France and Germany – alongside China, Russia and the US – are parties to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which placed major restrictions on its atomic activities in return for the gradual lifting of United Nations sanctions. However, in 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Donald Trump's first term as president and reimposed its own sanctions. Britain, France and Germany maintained their support for the 2015 accord and sought to continue trade with Iran. But they have since accused Tehran of failing to uphold its commitments and are threatening to reimpose sanctions under a clause in the agreement that expires in October – something Iran is eager to avoid. The IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60 percent – far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 accord. Ninety percent enrichment is required for a nuclear weapon. Western powers, led by the US and backed by Israel, have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks starting in April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched its strikes on Iran.
Qatar Tribune
6 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
EU for ‘more balanced' trade ties with China
DPA Beijing EU leaders on Thursday threatened China with new action to counter what they consider unfair trade practices, as they met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for a high-level summit aimed at recalibrating strained ties. The European Union is prepared to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the current conflicts, the 27-country bloc said after a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Xi. As long as this is not the case, however, the EU will take measures to protect its legitimate interests, it said. 'For trade to remain [mutually] beneficial, it must become more balanced,' von der Leyen demanded during a press conference following the talks. 'Europe welcomes competition,' she added. 'We like competition, but competition has to be fair.' Earlier, state broadcaster had quoted Xi as saying China and the EU must act with foresight amid global instability and make strategic choices, while strengthening cooperation and mutual trust. The summit coincides with the 50th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations.
Qatar Tribune
6 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Saudi Arabia signs deal worth $6 bn with Syria
dpa Damascus Saudi Arabia on Thursday signed economic deals worth over $6 billion with war-shattered Syria, the latest sign of support from the oil-wealthy Gulf monarchy for Syria's new rulers. The deals were signed at a major Saudi-Syrian business forum that opened on Thursday in Damascus. Saudi Arabia has thrown its political and economic weight behind Syria since an Islamist-led rebel alliance deposed the country's long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Iran was a major ally of al-Assad. In May, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hosted a meeting in Riyadh between US President Donald Trump and incumbent Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the first encounter between the leaders of the two countries in 25 years. During his trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. The European Union has also taken a similar step. The pacts signed on Thursday cover a wide range of fields including energy, infrastructure, industry, fiscal services, information technology and agriculture, according to Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih. 'We will work to encourage international investors to explore investment opportunities in Syria,' Al-Falih said on Thursday. The Saudi official arrived in Damascus on Wednesday, leading a large business delegation. He also attended the launch of Syria's first white cement plant near Damascus. In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, another Gulf energy-rich emirate, said they would settle Syria's outstanding arrears with the World Bank Group, amounting to some $15 million. Qatar has pledged investments of over $7 billion for the construction of gas-fired power plants to improve Syria's poor electricity supply Earlier this month, investment-hungry Syria signed an $800 million deal with the Dubai-based DP World to develop and manage the port of Tartus, a key Syrian Mediterranean facility. Since al-Assad's overthrow, Syria's new leadership has sought to garner world recognition and economic support to rebuild the country devastated by more than a decade of war.
