“Constructive” discussions between Iran and European countries

Iran and the main European powers (Germany, France and the United Kingdom) began two days of “serious, frank and constructive” discussions in Switzerland on Monday evening on the Iranian nuclear program, one week before the inauguration of Donald Trump .

These discussions in Geneva, in an undisclosed location, are taking place less than two months after negotiations between Iran and representatives of the three European countries in the same Swiss city, at a time when Westerners are worried about progress of the Iranian nuclear program.

“Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanhchi and his E3 counterparts (Germany, France and the United Kingdom, editor’s note) met on Monday evening,” reported the Iranian news agency ISNA.

“They discussed issues of mutual interest, including negotiations for the lifting of sanctions, the nuclear issue and the worrying situation in the region,” the agency added without further details.

Later, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi described the discussions as “serious, frank and constructive.”

“We discussed ideas involving certain details in the areas of sanctions relief and nuclear that are necessary for a deal,” he said on X.

“The parties agreed that negotiations should resume and that to reach an agreement all parties must create and maintain an appropriate atmosphere. We agreed to continue our dialogue,” he added.

The diplomats of the three European countries confirmed in identical messages on X that “the British, French and German political directors again met their Iranian counterparts in Geneva today (Monday, editor’s note)”.

“The discussions were serious, frank and constructive. In a difficult context, we discussed our concerns and reiterated our commitment to a diplomatic solution. We have agreed to continue our dialogue,” added the Western capitals.

The German Foreign Ministry had previously told AFP that “these are not negotiations”. These are only “consultations”, added Iran.

For Tehran, “the main objective of these talks is to lift sanctions against Iran,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday, adding that Tehran was also “listening to subjects that the other parties want to discuss.

The meeting is “a sign that the E3 countries continue to work towards a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program, the state of which is extremely problematic,” said the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Tehran announced in early December that it would begin supplying new centrifuges at the Fordo site, one of the largest in the country, in central Iran, “with the long-term effect of significantly increasing the manufacturing rate of ‘Uranium enriched up to 60%’, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In a letter to the UN Security Council dated December 6, France, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed their deep “concern” and urged the Islamic Republic “to immediately end its nuclear escalation.” The three European countries discussed the possible use of the mechanism reimposing sanctions against Iran “to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons”.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 deal between Iran and the E3 countries as well as the United States, Russia and China, expires in October 2025, ten years after the entry into force of the agreement.

The head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, recently indicated that his country would take measures to reassure “the peaceful nature” of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60%, close to the 90% needed to make an atomic weapon. The Iranians defend the right to nuclear power for civilian purposes, particularly for energy production, and deny wanting to acquire atomic weapons, something that Western countries strongly doubt.