FT: Europe offers Iran sanctions reprieve in bid to revive nuclear talks
European powers are prepared to offer Iran a temporary reprieve from looming United Nations sanctions if Tehran agrees to resume nuclear negotiations and co-operate with international inspectors, the Financial Times (FT) reports, citing senior Western diplomats.
Representatives from the UK, France, and Germany — collectively known as the E3 — are expected to meet their Iranian counterparts in Istanbul on July 25. This will mark the first formal contact between Iran and the West since the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, which briefly drew in the United States.
The E3, signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are considering extending a sanctions deadline in a last-ditch effort to salvage what remains of the nuclear deal. Without an agreement, they would need to decide by mid-September whether to trigger the so-called "snapback" mechanism that would reinstate all UN sanctions previously lifted under the accord. Key provisions of the 2015 deal are set to expire on October 18.
Western diplomats told the Financial Times that any extension of the deadline would be contingent on Iran resuming talks with the U.S. and restoring some degree of co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The proposal, they said, would likely require endorsement through a UN Security Council resolution and could extend the deadline by several months.
Tensions remain high following Israel’s bombing of Iranian nuclear sites during the recent war — an action supported by the U.S. — which prompted Tehran to suspend IAEA access. While Iran has since indicated it may allow a new IAEA technical team into the country, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi clarified that this would not include site inspections.
Meanwhile, hardliners in Iran’s parliament have threatened to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should sanctions be reimposed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on July 24, reiterated that Iran’s position remains unchanged and enrichment activities will continue.
Indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. had been underway earlier this year but were suspended after Israeli strikes killed several high-ranking Iranian military and nuclear figures. Iran has expressed openness to resuming negotiations but demands guarantees that Israel and the U.S. will not launch attacks while talks are ongoing.
President Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear agreement during his first term, has said he is “in no rush” to return to negotiations, insisting Iran's nuclear infrastructure has already been dismantled. However, the IAEA has warned that Iran could restart uranium enrichment within months and noted that more than 400kg of highly enriched uranium — enough for several weapons — remains unaccounted for.
By Vugar Khalilov