France, Germany and the UK are preparing to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme on Thursday (28 August), after weeks of diplomacy failed to deliver results.
The three countries, known as the E3, had met with Iranian officials on Tuesday in a final attempt to revive stalled nuclear talks.
At a previous meeting in Istanbul in July, their foreign ministers had signalled a willingness to extend a UN sanctions deadline if Tehran resumed cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and restarted indirect talks with Washington before the end of August.
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi told reporters on Wednesday that inspectors had arrived at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, but that he was unsure whether Tehran would permit inspections of its enrichment facilities.
Facilities were said to have been damaged by Israeli and US bombing attacks in June, but this has not been independently confirmed. If Grossi’s team is allowed, they would be able to assess damage within 30 days, he also said.
E3 leaders have threatened to trigger a "snapback mechanism" under the 2015 nuclear deal which would reimpose UN sanctions but offered to delay the process for as much as six months if Iran resumes full UN inspections.
According to the IAEA, Iran has enough near weapons-grade enrichment material for six nuclear weapons, which Tehran has consistently denied seeking.
And on Tuesday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told lawmakers that no decision had been made on how to resume full cooperation with the watchdog and disputed the European’s right to reimpose sanctions, the parliament news agency ICANA reported.
No direct talks between Washington and Tehran are taking place. Iranian officials have said they are willing to negotiate indirectly with the Trump administration.
But the bombing campaign derailed talks with Iranian leadership, and Iranian negotiators now say they will only return to diplomacy if they get assurances there won’t be another attack.
Negotiations on Tuesday didn’t deliver tangible results, but western diplomats told reporters ahead of Thursday’s meeting they still hoped Tehran would provide commitments that could convince them to defer action.
The UN process takes 30 days before sanctions on Iran’s banking, oil and defence sectors are reimposed.
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Wester is a journalist from the Netherlands with a focus on the green economy. He joined EUobserver in September 2021. Previously he was editor-in-chief of Vice, Motherboard, a science-based website, and climate economy journalist for The Correspondent.
Wester is a journalist from the Netherlands with a focus on the green economy. He joined EUobserver in September 2021. Previously he was editor-in-chief of Vice, Motherboard, a science-based website, and climate economy journalist for The Correspondent.