Latest news with #Baqaei
Observer
3 days ago
- Business
- Observer
Iran blames Europeans for nuclear deal collapse
TEHRAN: Tehran on Monday blamed European powers for the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing them of breaking commitments ahead of renewed talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany. The 2015 agreement — reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany — imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Donald Trump's first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Though Europe pledged continued support, the mechanism to offset US sanctions never effectively materialised, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis. "Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany on the deal's future. Tehran will also host a trilateral meeting today with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties". Germany said the Istanbul talks would be at the expert level, with the European trio working "flat out" to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution. "If no solution is reached by the end of August... the snapback also remains an option for the E3," said its foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Giese. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral", Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers — led by the United States and backed by Israel, Iran's arch-enemy — have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons capability. 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 since April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said on Monday. Israel launched on June 13 a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own set of strikes against Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz. — AFP
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Ahead Of New Talks, Iran Blames Europeans For Nuclear Deal Collapse
Tehran on Monday blamed European powers for the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing them of breaking their commitments ahead of renewed talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany. The 2015 deal, reached between Iran and the UN Security Council's permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Donald Trump's first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions. The Europeans had pledged continued support for the deal, but the mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never materialised effectively and many Western firms were forced to exit Iran, which has since faced a deepening economic crisis. "The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing" the nuclear agreement, said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei. His remarks come ahead of a meeting Friday in Istanbul between Iranian officials and representatives from Britain, France and Germany to discuss the future of the nuclear deal. Ahead of those talks, Baqaei said Tehran would host a trilateral meeting on Tuesday about the nuclear issue and the potential reimposition of sanctions with Chinese and Russian representatives. In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to trigger the UN "snapback" mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments. A German diplomatic source had told AFP on Sunday the E3 were in contact with Tehran and said "Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon". "That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear programme," the source said. The International Atomic Energy Agency 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. That is a short step from the 90 percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral", Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers -- led by the United States and backed by Israel, Iran's arch-enemy -- have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons capability. 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 since April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched a military strike on Iran on June 13, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said Monday. Israel launched on June 13 a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own set of strikes against Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Iran To Hold Meeting With China, Russia Over Nuclear Program & UN Snapback Mechanism
Last Updated: Iran will host a high-level trilateral meeting with China and Russia on Tuesday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme and the UN "snapback" sanctions mechanism, said Baqaei. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday announced that Iran will host a high-level trilateral meeting with China and Russia on Tuesday. The spokesman said the meeting will focus on Iran's nuclear programme and the United Nations 'snapback" sanctions mechanism. Earlier, Baghaei also said that Iran will hold nuclear talks with Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday. This comes following warnings by the three European nations that failure to resume talks would bring back international sanctions to Iran. 'The meeting between Iran, Britain, France and Germany will take place at the deputy foreign minister level," Iranian state media quoted Baghaei as saying. Recently, the 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 Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Gulf Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Iran demands guarantees before returning to nuclear negotiating table
In response to a question about whether Iran has specific preconditions for resuming negotiations with the United States, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said any talks should not be held in 'deception.' 'We will not enter into such a process until we are sure of the effectiveness of diplomacy and the negotiation process,' Esmaeil Baqaei stressed, adding that diplomacy should not be stigmatised but should be used as 'a tool and an opportunity.' Addressing a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, he emphasised that no one has the right to deprive Iran of this tool to explain its point of view, defend its interests. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Baqaei has once again warned the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal against using the so-called snapback mechanism that would re-impose UN sanctions on Iran if activated. Baqaei said that resorting to a mechanism, which was included in the UN Security Council's Resolution 2231 endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for specific reasons, lacks any legal, political, or moral basis. Baqaei touched on the approach of China and Russia, saying the two friendly nations have always been ready to help resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. He denied any specific proposal or a package from Moscow and Beijing but said that they remain in contact such as during the BRICS Summit or as Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has travelled to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Ministerial Meeting, which will be a good opportunity to continue consultations. WAM
Korea Herald
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Iran says no nuclear talks if US insists it stop enrichment
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) -- Iran said on Monday there would be no new nuclear talks with the US if they were conditioned on Tehran abandoning its uranium enrichment activities. Washington and Tehran had been engaged in several rounds of negotiations seeking to strike a deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, but Israel derailed the talks when it launched a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis, touching off 12 days of war. Since the end of the hostilities, both Iran and the US have signalled willingness to return to the table, though Tehran has said it will not renounce its right to the peaceful use of nuclear power. "If the negotiations must be conditioned on stopping enrichment, such negotiations will not take place," Ali Velayati, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA. The remarks came after Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran had not set a date for any meeting with the US. "For now, no specific date, time or location has been determined regarding this matter," Baqaei said of plans for a meeting between Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. Araghchi and Witkoff had previously failed to conclude a deal after five rounds of talks that began in April and were the highest-level contact between the two countries since Washington abandoned a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018. The Omani-mediated negotiations were halted as Israel launched its surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on June 13, with the US later joining its ally and carrying out limited strikes. "We have been serious in diplomacy and the negotiation process, we entered with good faith, but as everyone witnessed, before the sixth round the Zionist regime, in coordination with the United States, committed military aggression against Iran," Baqaei said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement on Monday that Iran "supports diplomacy and constructive engagement." "We continue to believe that the window for diplomacy remains open, and we will seriously pursue this peaceful path." Israel and Western nations accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied. While it is the only non-nuclear weapons power to enrich uranium to 60-percent purity -- close to the level needed for a warhead -- the UN's atomic energy watchdog has said it had no indication Iran was working to weaponise its stockpiles. Israel's offensive, which it said was aimed at thwarting a nuclear threat from the Islamic republic, killed nuclear scientists and top-ranking military officers, but also hit residential areas. The US launched its own set of strikes on June 22, hitting Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Fordo in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli cities, and attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for Washington's strikes. The extent of the damage to the Islamic republic's nuclear program remains unknown, and Baqaei said it was "still under investigation." Pezeshkian in his latest statement warned of an "even more crushing retaliation" to any "new aggression against Iranian territory." Baqaei said on Monday that Iran remained in contact with Britain, France and Germany, the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that the US later withdrew from. The Europeans have threatened to trigger the deal's "snapback" mechanism, which allows the reimposition of UN sanctions in the event of non-compliance. Baqaei said Tehran was "in continuous contact with these three countries," but added that he "cannot provide an exact date" for the next meeting with them. There was "no legal, moral or political basis" for reimposing sanctions, according to Baqaei, as Iran was still committed to the 2015 agreement. He added that such a move would be met with an "appropriate and proportionate" response, following Iranian threats to quit the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty. After the US pulled out of the 2015 deal with Iran during Donald Trump's first term as president, Tehran began rolling back its commitments to the agreement, which restricted its atomic activities in return for sanctions relief. "The Islamic Republic of Iran still considers itself a member of the JCPOA," Baqaei said, referring to the 2015 deal.
