Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, will hold a joint telephone call on Friday with his French, British, and German counterparts to discuss stalled nuclear negotiations and the possible reimposition of United Nations sanctions, state news agency IRNA reported.
The three European nations have warned they could trigger the UN “snapback” sanctions mechanism if Tehran continues to resist returning to talks on its nuclear programme. Along with the United States, they have voiced concerns that Iran’s activities may be geared toward developing nuclear weapons—an accusation Iran has repeatedly denied.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has assessed that Iran remains far from producing a nuclear bomb. In March, US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, told lawmakers there was no evidence of active weaponisation efforts.
Tensions rose significantly in June after the United States and Israel conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to suspend negotiations with Washington. Since then, IAEA inspectors have been barred from accessing Iranian sites, a restriction the agency’s Director-General, Rafael Grossi, described as “deeply concerning.”
According to Iranian media, Araqchi’s discussions with European officials will focus on the possible activation of the snapback mechanism, which would restore international sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
Separately, an Iranian delegation is scheduled to travel to Vienna on Friday for meetings with IAEA officials, though details of the agenda have not been disclosed.
