France, Germany, UK to hold new round of nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva

Iran and three European powers will resume nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday, focusing on Tehran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Monday.

Citing a source, Tasnim reported that the talks will bring together Iran and the EU3 – the UK, France and Germany. Iran’s delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with his counterparts from the three European countries and the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Araghchi warned them that any attempt to invoke the snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear agreement would be “legally baseless, morally unjustified and carry serious consequences,” according to the news agency.

The UK, France, and Germany were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) alongside the US, China, and Russia.

The accord limited Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. But US President Donald Trump pulled Washington, DC, out of the deal in 2018 and reinstated sweeping sanctions.

The agreement includes a “snapback” clause allowing signatories to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if it is deemed in violation.

Last month, the E3 and the EU also held nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul.