New round of nuclear talks between Iran, UK, France, and Germany

Deputy foreign ministers from Iran and the “E3,” as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are called, met in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and regional issues.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister who participated in the talks on behalf of Iran, stated on social media, “We evaluated ideas regarding the lifting of sanctions and specific details related to nuclear areas in order to reach an agreement.”

Describing the talks as “serious, sincere, and constructive,” Gharibabadi stated that the parties decided to continue the dialogue. Gharibabadi said, “The parties agreed that negotiations need to be restarted and that all sides must create and maintain an appropriate atmosphere to reach an agreement.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had announced last month that they were ready to resume negotiations to overcome the long-standing deadlock regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

Araghchi’s statement was interpreted as Iran’s search for a solution through negotiations, as the country fears facing further sanctions and isolation once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

Maintaining that it uses nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, Iran signed a nuclear deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 with the P5+1 countries, consisting of the permanent members of the UN Security Council—the U.S., Russia, China, France, and the UK—along with Germany.

Donald Trump, who was elected president in the U.S. in 2017, withdrew from the agreement signed during the Barack Obama era in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran accelerated its uranium enrichment activities, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned in December that Iran was approaching the stage of developing an atomic bomb.