Deputy foreign ministers from Iran and the three key European nations involved in the 2015 nuclear agreement Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are expected to meet in Istanbul this Friday to resume discussions on Iran’s contested nuclear programme.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran will be represented by deputy foreign ministers Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi, both senior members of Tehran’s nuclear negotiation team.
The talks mark the first formal meeting between Iran and the E3 since the ceasefire that ended the recent Israeli-Iran conflict, a war that severely damaged Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
The resumption of talks comes at a critical juncture. The 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, is set to formally expire in mid-October.
While the agreement is technically still in place, its terms have not been actively upheld by either side for several years.
If talks collapse, the E3 could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council to seek the reimposition of sanctions that were lifted under the JCPOA.
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Diplomatic sources indicate the Europeans will likely urge Iran to accept renewed restrictions on its nuclear activities to prevent any future capability of developing nuclear weapons.
In return, Tehran is expected to push for the easing or removal of crippling economic sanctions that have led to widespread inflation, currency devaluation, and social unrest within the country.
The talks also follow a prior two-month window earlier this year during which Iran held closed-door discussions with the United States on the same topic.
Those efforts failed to produce a deal, but they paved the way for renewed multilateral discussions, even as tensions escalated between Iran and regional adversaries like Israel.
For Iran, the goal remains clear: obtain sanctions relief while maintaining what it says is its right to a civilian nuclear programme.
Tehran has repeatedly denied seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, asserting that its nuclear activities are purely for peaceful purposes, such as energy production and medical research.
NAN
