Latest news with #UNsanctions
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Nuclear discussions with Europe will continue, says Iranian minister after Istanbul talks
Iran and European powers held talks in Istanbul over Tehran's nuclear programme but appeared to make no concrete decisions before a deadline to reimpose UN sanctions in September. "Both sides came to the meeting with specific ideas, the various aspects of which were examined," Kazem Gharibabadi, one of Iran's deputy foreign ministers and nuclear negotiators, said in a post on X after the meeting. "It was agreed that consultations on this matter will continue." Representatives from the foreign ministries of the UK, France and Germany met Mr Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, another deputy foreign minister, at the Iranian consulate in the Turkish city. There was no immediate comment from European parties to the talks. These were the first in-person discussions between Iran and the European countries, known as the E3, since the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June and subsequent US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The negotiations centred on the so-called snapback mechanism. As part of the 2015 nuclear deal's dispute resolution clauses, it allows remaining parties to the accord to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran that are due to expire in the autumn. They include arms embargoes, asset freezes and restrictions on Iran's missile and nuclear programmes. The US cannot use the mechanism because President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 agreement in his first term. The E3 have until mid-September to decide whether or not to use the snapback mechanism, which must be triggered 30 days before the UN sanctions are set to expire on October 18. But the apparent lack of progress in Friday's talks further tightens the window of opportunity for a negotiated solution. Iranian officials have claimed repeatedly that European nations do not have the right to reimpose UN sanctions because they breached commitments under the 2015 deal and adopted what Tehran saw as pro-Israeli stances during the war in June. "We explained our principled positions, including on the so-called snapback mechanism," Mr Gharibabadi said in his statement on Friday. Last Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign ministers from the E3 that they have no grounds to reactivate UN sanctions after they threatened to do so unless there is progress in nuclear talks. If the snapback process is not used and UN embargoes expire in October, Iran could in theory advance its nuclear programme without international restrictions, although remaining US sanctions would probably still complicate any such efforts. Clock ticking on sanctions Analysts and diplomats have said European powers could offer Iran an extension to the deadline. That could allow time for negotiations between Tehran and Washington to reach a replacement deal to the 2015 accord, imposing limits on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Such a move would probably come in exchange for commitments from Iran to co-operate with international nuclear inspectors and re-engage in talks with the US. "A snapback extension remains a difficult means to an even more difficult end – securing new US-Iran negotiations and a new nuclear deal," Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an analysis on the mechanism this week. "But Europeans need to be fully invested in this process." But Iranian officials have voiced scepticism over an extension. 'We oppose it,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state media on Friday, before the talks with the E3. The talks in Istanbul were an opportunity for European countries 'to make up for their previous unconstructive approaches that have tarnished Europe's credibility', he added. At the same time, ministers in Iran have voiced willingness to return to talks with Washington, but want guarantees that the US and Israel will not attack the country again while diplomacy is continuing. Iran and the US held five rounds of negotiations in Rome and Oman this year, before a sixth round was cancelled when Israel attacked Iran in June. The talks had also faltered over Iran's rights to uranium enrichment, which Tehran wants to continue, with possible limits. The US position hardened during the talks and Washington wants to deny Iran any nuclear enrichment capacity under a deal. Tehran has also agreed to host a technical team from the UN nuclear watchdog to discuss future co-operation. The development came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this month ended co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and said it could only be restored if the agency addressed Tehran's concerns over perceived bias. Future work with the agency will be co-ordinated by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, whose decisions are only effective once approved by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for strictly peaceful purposes and denies seeking to develop a bomb. But uranium enrichment levels of up to 60 per cent, far exceeding the needs of civilian purposes, have raised suspicions in the West that Iran wants to build a weapon. Speaking in Tehran before Friday's talks, Mr Araghchi said his country's position would be made 'completely clear". "The Islamic Republic of Iran, while advancing its peaceful nuclear programme, has always been ready to adopt confidence-building measures," he added. 'Especially after the recent war, it is important for [the E3] to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue,' the Tasnim news agency quoted Mr Araghchi as saying.
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Tehran, Moscow and Beijing to Discuss European Threat of Sanctions ‘Snapback'
Russia, China, and Iran are holding crucial consultations in Tehran on Tuesday to coordinate their positions ahead of the European Troika meeting in Geneva next week, focusing on discussions related to the threat of reimposed UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal's snapback mechanism. Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, have warned they would use the mechanism, which would reimpose international sanctions on Iran, if there was no progress on nuclear talks by the end of August. Russian experts warned forceful pressure on Iran would only further exacerbate the situation, pushing Tehran to take steps that would most likely derail chances of a new nuclear deal. Lately, Iran has not been impressed with Russia's support as the country wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to do more to back it against Israel and the United States. Observers have questioned the Kremlin's ability to provide serious assistance to the Iranians amid Moscow's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine, and its unwillingness to engage in a direct confrontation with the United States and Israel. Ahead of Tuesday's meeting in Tehran, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told Izvestia newspaper that the European troika has lost the right to resume international sanctions against Iran. 'The E3 has no legal or moral right to launch the so-called snapback mechanism to reimpose anti-Iranian sanctions,' he said. The Russian diplomat added that Britain, France, and Germany, known as the E3, have repeatedly violated the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, and thus forfeited their right to trigger the snapback mechanism. Meanwhile, state-run Russian news agencies quoted the representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, as saying that the countries participating in the JCPOA had not notified the world organization of their intention to launch a mechanism to restore sanctions against Iran. 'Thus, for now, such threats from Europe remain at the level of words. It is likely that this is an attempt to play on Iran's fears and scare the elite with the return of sanctions,' orientalist Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia. He added that despite the fact that the 'snapback mechanism' implies an 'instant return' to sanctions, the launch process itself takes about 30 days. In return, some Russian observers say the E3 rush to implement the snapback before October, when Russia assumes the Security Council presidency. 'The rush of the European powers is due to the desire to fully introduce the mechanism until the moment when Russia takes over the presidency of the Security Council, that is, until October 2025,' Tsukanov said. In this case, he added, the troika proceeds from the fact that its actions are legitimate, since the United States withdrew from the deal unilaterally in 2018, and Iran has significantly reduced its obligations over the past few years. Russian Mediation The E3 had promised not to impose sanctions if Tehran removes about 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60% from the country, and also agrees to resume monitoring by the IAEA, which Iran has suspended, according to Axios. When the initial Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was concluded, Moscow and Tehran agreed to export to Russia low-enriched uranium produced in Iran with a volume of more than 300 kg, Ulyanov recalled. He did not rule out that the Russian Federation may reimpose this agreement. 'In principle, I see no reason why such a scheme could not continue to be implemented if it would help resolve differences between Tehran and the Westerners over the Iranian nuclear program,' the diplomat said. Ulyanov also said that Russia agrees to mediate between Iran and the United States to resolve the issue surrounding the nuclear deal at the request of both sides. 'Of course, we are ready to help resolve the problems surrounding the Iranian nuclear program through political and diplomatic means. We have been following this line for many years now, and it has repeatedly brought positive results. We are ready to play a mediating role now, if both contracting parties request it,' he said. Recently, reports suggested Western countries could turn to Russia for guarantees that Iran would not work on developing nuclear weapons, Ulyanov noted. However, according to him, such guarantees will be extremely difficult to implement. 'I don't know anything about such requests. It is quite difficult to imagine how this idea can be put into practice. At the end, such guarantees should be provided by Iran, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose mandate includes verifying the use of atomic energy exclusively for peaceful purposes,' the diplomat added. Meanwhile, Farhad Ibragimov, an expert in Oriental studies, told Izvestia that the ultimatum of the European troika and further threats from Washington may lead to Iran withdrawing from the nuclear deal and becoming actively engaged in its nuclear program. In this regard, Moscow and Tehran held several meetings aimed at clarifying their positions, and to assess Russia's ability to support Tehran amid the escalating Western pressure. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his Iranian counterpart Aziz Nasirzadeh discussed strengthening military cooperation at a meeting in Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday, citing the Iranian ambassador. The meeting followed talks on Sunday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on the situation in the Middle East and issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program. Iran hopes that Russia and China as members of the JCPOA, as well as permanent members of the UN Security Council, can play a role in any process within the Security Council. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran, Moscow and Beijing had held 'constructive consultations' over the past year, discussing the possible reintroduction of the UN Security Council's sanctions on Iran. This came as conflicting reports emerged about Russia's stance regarding the enrichment of uranium in Iran. On Sunday, Russia rejected an Axios report saying Putin has told both US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium. Another difference emerged when Moscow announced that Putin had not received a letter from Khamenei during a previous visit by Iran's foreign minister to Moscow. Also, Iran has not been impressed with Russia's support so far, Iranian sources said, and the country wants Putin to do more to back it against Israel and the United States. The Farhikhtegan newspaper, whose editorial board is headed by the Iranian leader's senior adviser on international affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati, revealed details of the Khamenei letter, before later deleting it. The newpspaer said Araghchi had conveyed the Supreme Leader's 'discontent' over what Tehran considered Moscow's shortcomings during the recent war with Israel. Alexander Baunov, a former Russian diplomat and Kremlin watcher, wrote that 'the Kremlin realizes that Israel and the United States are willing to make more efforts to destroy the Iranian regime than to save it.' He said the recent military confrontation between Israel, the US and Iran has put Putin in front of very difficult choices, particularly because Iran's current adversaries are not Russia's enemies. 'This applies to Israel, the Gulf Arab states, and the Trump administration, with whom Putin still hopes to reach a big deal,' he said.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
France, UK and Germany set deadline to restore UN sanctions on Iran
The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to reinstate tough UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no concrete progress is made on a nuclear deal, two European diplomats have revealed. Ambassadors from the three nations convened on Tuesday at Germany's UN Mission to discuss a possible Iranian deal and reimposing the sanctions snapback mechanism. The issue was also discussed during a Monday phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the three countries, according to two U.S. officials. The officials and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. On Wednesday, Iranian state media reported that Iran's parliament said the country should not resume nuclear negotiations with the United States until preconditions are met. "When the U.S. uses negotiations as a tool to deceive Iran and cover up a sudden military attack by the Zionist regime (Israel), talks cannot be conducted as before. Preconditions must be set and no new negotiations can take place until they are fully met," the statement said. The statement did not define the preconditions, but Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has previously said there should be guarantees that there will be no further attacks against Tehran. The UK, France and Germany are part of an agreement reached with Iran in 2015 to rein in its nuclear program, from which President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. during his first term, insisting it wasn't tough enough. Under the accord that lifted economic penalties on Iran in exchange for restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program, a so-called 'snapback' provision allows one of the Western parties to reimpose UN sanctions if Tehran does not comply with its requirements. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the three European countries would be justified in reapplying sanctions. 'With regard to Iran, the minister reiterated the priority of resuming negotiations to establish a long-term framework for Iran's nuclear program,' the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. 'Without a verifiable commitment from Iran by the end of August at the latest, France, Germany, and the UK will be justified in reapplying the UN sanctions (snapbacks) that were lifted 10 years ago.' The diplomats did not provide details of the deal being sought. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that Tehran would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S. if there were assurances of no more attacks, following Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. He said there should be 'a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated, stressing that 'the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution." The United States and Iran held several rounds of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program before the Israeli strikes began in June. Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said last week that talks would happen soon, but nothing has yet been scheduled. Araghchi, whose country insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, said in a July 2 CBS interview that 'the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.' Iran's UN Mission had no comment on Tuesday on the threat of renewed sanctions if there is no deal. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country's nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA.
BreakingNews.ie
16-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
France, UK and Germany would restore UN sanctions on Iran without deal progress
The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal, two European diplomats said. The three countries' ambassadors to the United Nations met on Tuesday at Germany's UN Mission to discuss a possible Iranian deal and re-imposing the sanctions. Advertisement The matter also came up in a phone call on Monday between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the three countries, according to two US officials. The State Department said after the call that the four had spoken about 'ensuring Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon'. The officials and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The UK, France and Germany are part of an agreement reached with Iran in 2015 to rein in its nuclear programme, from which President Donald Trump withdrew the US during his first term, insisting it was not tough enough. Advertisement Under the accord that lifted economic penalties on Iran in exchange for restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme, a so-called 'snapback' provision allows one of the Western parties to re-impose UN sanctions if Tehran does not comply with its requirements. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the three European countries would be justified in re-applying sanctions. 'With regard to Iran, the minister reiterated the priority of resuming negotiations to establish a long-term framework for Iran's nuclear programme,' the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. 'Without a verifiable commitment from Iran by the end of August at the latest, France, Germany and the UK will be justified in re-applying the UN sanctions (snapbacks) that were lifted 10 years ago.' Advertisement The diplomats did not provide details of the deal being sought. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that Tehran would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the US if there were assurances of no more attacks, following Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities. He said there should be 'a firm guarantee' that such actions will not be repeated, stressing that 'the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution'. The United States and Iran held several rounds of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear programme before the Israeli strikes began in June. Mr Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said last week that talks would happen soon, but nothing has yet been scheduled. Advertisement Mr Araghchi, whose country insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, said that 'the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut'. Iran's UN Mission had no comment on Tuesday on the threat of renewed sanctions if there is no deal. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that the US airstrikes so badly damaged his country's nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA. Advertisement
The National
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
France threatens sanctions on Iran, and Lebanon receives response on Hezbollah
France is threatening Iran with UN sanctions if a deal is not reached on its nuclear programme. Lebanese officials have received a response to their proposal to US special envoy Thomas Barrack over the disarmament of Hezbollah. An Ultra-Orthodox political party quit the Israeli government. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: France threatens Iran with UN sanctions by end of August Lebanon receives US response over Hezbollah disarmament as 12 killed by Israeli attacks on Bekaa Valley Blow for Benjamin Netanyahu as ultra-Orthodox party quits coalition This episode features Sunniva Rose, Europe Correspondent; Jamie Prentis, Beirut Correspondent; and Thomas Helm, Jerusalem Correspondent.
