Iran to revive nuclear talks with Europe as geopolitical tensions mount

On November 29, Iran will engage in talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Geneva, marking a pivotal effort to revive the stalled 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed. 

The European Union will also participate as a mediator, while the United States, China, and Russia remain absent from the discussions, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The vice-ministerial talks will be the first under Iran’s new reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office in July following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi, a seasoned nuclear negotiator, will lead the Iranian delegation.

The negotiations come at a critical juncture, coinciding with Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House in January. Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 accord during his first administration in 2018, prompted Iran to exceed the deal’s nuclear limits in response to reimposed U.S. sanctions.

Key topics on the table are expected to include curbing Iran’s nuclear activities, European sanctions on Iranian airlines and shipping firms, and rising tensions in the Middle East.

The 2015 nuclear agreement, originally brokered between Iran and six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States — required Tehran to restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the U.S. withdrawal and Iran's subsequent countermeasures led to the deal's collapse.

While China and Russia have deepened ties with Iran, their absence, along with that of the U.S., underscores the changing dynamics in global diplomacy. The talks will test Europe’s ability to navigate the fragile path toward restoring the accord and stabilizing regional tensions without the direct involvement of major global powers.

By Khagan Isayev