Iran to meet European powers on eve of fourth round of US talks in Rome
Iran and the E3 group of three European countries will hold talks in Rome on Friday, a day before the fourth round of nuclear negotiations with the US.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media on Wednesday the next round of talks with the US would be held in the Italian capital on Saturday. "We will also have a meeting with three European countries on Friday," he added, referring to the UK, France and Germany.
"I think that the role of the three European countries has diminished due to the wrong policies they have adopted, of course we do not want this," Mr Araghchi said, appearing to refer to their sanctions on Iran. "This is why we are ready to hold the next round of negotiations with them in Rome."
The talks are aimed at improving strained ties with the European nations at a time of high-stakes, indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US that began on April 12.
The long-time geopolitical foes have held three rounds of talks, mediated by Oman, the highest level of contact between the two sides in years.
The E3 – along with China and Russia – were parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that fell apart when Washington withdrew in 2018 during Donald Trump's first term as US president. Attempts to revive the deal were made in 2021 with talks in Vienna that ultimately failed under the Biden administration.
Since then, European countries have largely remained sidelined from the talks until recently. The second round was held in Rome, with the other two in Muscat.
France on Monday said that along with Germany and Britain, it "will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions" scrapped a decade ago if European security is threatened by Iran's nuclear activities.
"Resorting to threats and economic blackmail is entirely unacceptable," Iran's mission to the UN said in a letter carried by the country's Isna news agency.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
UN to vote to demand immediate Gaza ceasefire over US, Israel opposition
The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the US vetoed a similar effort in the Security Council last week. The 193-member General Assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a "politically-motivated, counter-productive charade". General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view on the war. Previous demands by the body for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas have been ignored. Unlike the UN Security Council, no country has a veto in the General Assembly. Thursday's vote also comes ahead of a UN conference next week that aims to reinvigorate an international push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The US has urged countries not to attend. In a note seen by Reuters, the US warned that "countries that take anti-Israel actions on the heels of the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences". The US last week vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution that also demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" and unhindered aid access in Gaza, arguing it would undermine US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire. The other 14 countries on the council voted in favour of the draft as a humanitarian crisis grips the enclave of more than 2 million people, where the UN warns famine looms and aid has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade last month. 'FALSE AND DEFAMATORY' The draft resolution to be voted on by the General Assembly on Thursday demands the release of hostages held by Hamas, the return of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. It demands unhindered aid access and "strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians... of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supply and access". "This is both false and defamatory," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon wrote in a letter to UN member states, sent on Tuesday and seen by Reuters. Danon described the General Assembly draft resolution as an "immensely flawed and harmful text," urging countries not to take part in what he said was a "farce" that undermines hostage negotiations and fails to condemn Hamas. In October 2023 the General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza with 120 votes in favour. In December 2023, 153 countries voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Then in December last year the body demanded - with 158 votes in favour - an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. They say civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks and that thousands more bodies have been lost under rubble.
Dubai Eye
2 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Arab League welcomes sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers
The Arab League has welcomed the sanctions imposed on two Israeli far-right ministers, saying the move is a step towards accountability for "instigated violence" and "contributing to settler attacks on Palestinians". The UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Norway imposed sanctions on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this week - a rare expression of discontent by Israel's longtime allies. 'We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperiled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion,' a joint statement said. The two hardline officials will face a travel ban and an asset freeze. The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the move sends a clear message to the international community regarding the actions of what he described as 'extremist' government officials. Aboul Gheit added that the joint decision by the five nations marks an "important initial step toward restoring international balance in addressing war crimes against Palestinians and represents a concrete move toward accountability for those involved in inciting ethnic cleansing and genocide". The sanctions are a deviation of typical policy alignment with the United States, which condemned the move and said the decision "[does] not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war". European countries have amped up the pressure on Israel in response to their Gaza offensive and West bank settlement expansion, but the US has remained steadfast in its support for Israel and vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza last week. The Israeli government said it would convene next week to decide on its response to the "unacceptable decision" by the European and Commonwealth states. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, who both live in settlements in the West Bank, rejected the sanctions and vowed to continue their agenda of settlement expansion. Settlements in the occupied West Bank have expanded since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Israel last month approved 22 Jewish settlements in areas where it previously withdrew, as well as new locations deep within the West Bank. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as in East Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights, are considered illegal under international law. While the announced sanctions were related to settlement expansion, the five Western states said they cannot be seen in isolation from Gaza. "We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid,' the joint statement said. The 22-member Arab bloc has repeatedly called out Israel for its conduct during the Gaza conflict. In March, it urged its members states to begin taking steps towards cutting military and economic ties with Israel, saying continued trade and military dealings would constitute complicity in Israel's onslaught of Gaza.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
UN nuclear watchdog finds Iran in breach of non-proliferation duties
The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday formally declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, diplomats at the closed-door meeting told Reuters. "[The board] finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the agency with full and timely co-operation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its safeguards agreement with the agency," the International Atomic Energy Agency board resolution states, according to Reuters. The decision is the latest development amid rising tension between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme. It comes after Washington announced it was preparing to evacuate personnel from its embassy in Baghdad and regional bases, and as nuclear talks between the countries appear at an impasse.
