France, Britain and Germany have informed Iran they will restore UN sanctions if Tehran fails to reopen talks on its nuclear programme right away and deliver concrete results by the end of August.
Foreign ministers of the so-called E3, joined by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
According to a French diplomatic source, the ministers urged Iran to resume diplomacy immediately to reach a “verifiable and lasting” deal, and threatened to resort to the so-called “snapback” mechanism should Tehran fail to do so.
Posting on X, Araqchi said he had told the ministers it was US that had left the negotiation table in June, choosing “a military option instead, not Iran …” Talks would only be possible once “the other party is ready for a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal”, he said. Therefore, the EU/E3 should “act responsibly and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the ‘snapback’…”
The E3 ministers, as indicated by the French diplomatic source, are resolved to use the so-called “snapback” mechanism if there is no “concrete progress toward such an agreement by the end of the summer”. The “snapback” provision can be used to reactivate UN sanctions before the 18 October expiration date for the UN Security Council resolution that detailed the terms of the original deal.
Although Tehran claims to remain open to diplomatic efforts, a sixth round of talks with Washington is considered unlikely anytime soon. Diplomatic insiders believe it is unrealistic to assume that a comprehensive agreement is feasible by end August – the deadline set by the Europeans – especially since IAEA inspectors are no longer on the ground, having departed Iran after the airstrikes.