Iran, EU to hold talks on nuclear programme

Iran's Foreign Ministry has said that representatives from Iran and three European countries (the UK, France, and Germany) intend to hold consultations in early next year regarding Iran's nuclear programme and regional issues.

Spokesman for the ministry Ismail Baghaei stated that the talks are scheduled for mid-January, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

"We will express our demands and highlight our concerns about regional issues and other matters. The nuclear programme will also be one of the topics," he said.

On November 29, deputy foreign ministers from Iran, France, the UK, and Germany held a series of talks in Geneva. Among the discussed topics were potential steps toward the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

JCPOA, under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, was signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the US, and France).

In May 2018, President Donald Trump, upon taking office, withdrew the US from the nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral anti-Iranian sanctions. In response, Tehran announced a phased rollback of the restrictions outlined in the JCPOA. 

His successor, President Joe Biden, expressed a willingness to return to the agreement, but all attempts to revive the nuclear deal during his presidency have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, in 2025, the 10-year term of the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed it, will expire, after which the Iran issue will be removed from the Security Council's agenda.

By Naila Huseynova