E3 nations propose sanctions delay in exchange for Iran–US talks

The United Kingdom, Germany, and France—collectively known as the E3—have extended a conditional offer to Iran, signaling their readiness to delay the reimposition of United Nations Security Council sanctions if Tehran agrees to enter into direct negotiations with the United States.

The proposal, which marks a notable diplomatic overture amid stalled nuclear negotiations, was disclosed by Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“The Europeans’ condition for Iran to hold direct talks with the US in exchange for an extension of the snapback moratorium is very strange,” Mohajerani said during a press briefing.

“The three European countries have now set a condition that we consider illegal. They want us to negotiate directly with a country that itself withdrew from the agreement,” she added, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—a landmark 2015 nuclear deal signed by Iran and the P5+1 (the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China).

The JCPOA has been under increasing strain since the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under the Trump administration, reimposing sweeping sanctions on Iran and prompting Tehran to reduce its compliance with the deal.

While the E3's proposal could be interpreted as an attempt to salvage the remnants of the agreement, Mohajerani criticized the condition as lacking legitimacy and dismissed the notion of pressured diplomacy.

“Iran will make its decision on whether to continue negotiations with the United States based on its own national interests,” she said. She also accused the European countries of being increasingly detached from their own priorities, stating that “they prefer to project their internal problems onto others.”

By Vafa Guliyeva