Iran, E3 in Istanbul to break nuclear deal stalemate
Shafaq News/ Iran will hold a meeting with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in Istanbul on Friday as part of a renewed push to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.
This marks the first direct contact between Tehran and the European trio (E3) in several months, following a period of hesitation among European capitals to engage in bilateral talks that might parallel the US-Iran dialogue.
European diplomats signaled a shift in position, citing a shared interest in keeping communication channels with Tehran open—an approach seen as beneficial for maintaining influence and shaping the outcome of any potential future agreement.
Relations between Iran and the three European powers have deteriorated over the past year despite intermittent talks. The tensions stem from new sanctions imposed on Tehran over its ballistic missile program, the detention of foreign nationals, and its military support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
Under the UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, the European trio retains the right to trigger the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran before October 18.
Although the E3 is not participating directly in the current US-Iran negotiations, which concluded their fourth round in Oman on Sunday, the trio has been closely coordinating with Washington to determine whether, and when, to activate the snapback mechanism as a means to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.
For its part, Iran aims to assess the seriousness of European intentions regarding sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently warned against such moves, amid ongoing concerns over Iran’s missile development and geopolitical alignments.
L'Iran a clairement fait connaître sa position. Nous avons officiellement averti tous les signataires du JCPOA qu'un abus du mécanisme de « snapback » entraînera des conséquences – non seulement la fin du rôle de l'Europe dans l'accord, mais aussi à une escalade des tensions…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 11, 2025
