Nuclear: Dialogue resumed between Iran and the Europeans, agreement to continue consultations

Under threat of potential European sanctions, Iran claimed to have held a "frank and in-depth" discussion this Friday and to have agreed with Europe to "continue" consultations, following a first meeting since the Israeli attack in mid-June against Iranian nuclear and military sites and a 12-day war.

For Tehran, this meeting represented an opportunity for Europe to "correct" its position on Iran's nuclear program. At the same time, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was "encouraged" by Tehran's green light for a visit by this UN body "in the coming weeks." The visit of an IAEA technical team could lead to the return of UN inspectors to Iran, possibly later this year, Rafael Grossi said.

Europeans go against the grain of the United States

Tehran suspended all cooperation with the Agency in early July, believing it was partly responsible for triggering the Israeli and American strikes in June. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, along with the United States, China, and Russia, are members of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that included significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for a gradual lifting of UN sanctions.

The United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed its sanctions, but the three European countries—the E3 in diplomatic jargon—had reaffirmed their commitment to the agreement and affirmed their desire to continue trade with Iran. UN and European sanctions were therefore not reinstated.

However, they accuse Tehran of failing to respect its commitments and have threatened to reinstate them under a clause in the agreement that expires in October, which Iran is seeking to avoid at all costs. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said the meeting in Turkey was "a test of realism for the Europeans and a valuable opportunity to correct their views on the Iranian nuclear issue ," according to the official IRNA news agency.

"Inaction is not an option"

A European source clarified before the meeting that "inaction is not an option." The Europeans are preparing to trigger the sanctions reinstatement mechanism in the fall "in the absence of a negotiated solution," according to the source, who called on Iran to resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who was due to attend the Istanbul talks, on Tuesday called the use of the so-called "snapback" mechanism "totally illegal," saying that European powers had "ended their commitments" after the US withdrawal in 2018.

Tehran has threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which guarantees the peaceful use of nuclear energy, if UN sanctions are reimposed. However, Iran wants to avoid such a scenario, which would increase its international isolation and put pressure on its already fragile economy.