Iran, European Powers to Hold Nuclear Talks as Snapback Sanctions Deadline Nears

Tehran, August 23, 2025 – Iran will hold talks with Britain, France, and Germany next Tuesday at the deputy foreign minister level to discuss its nuclear program, the parties announced on Friday. The announcement comes as the European trio, known as the E3, warned Iran to engage swiftly to avoid the reimposition of UN sanctions through the "snapback mechanism" by the end of August.

The talks follow Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in July, after a 12-day war with Israel. Iran cited the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities as the reason for its decision. The E3, parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, have threatened to trigger the snapback mechanism, which would reinstate sweeping UN sanctions lifted under the agreement unless Iran curbs its uranium enrichment and resumes cooperation with IAEA inspectors.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the upcoming talks after a phone call between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior European diplomats. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking on X, emphasized the urgency, stating, “Time is running out. A new meeting will take place next week on this issue.” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the sentiment, urging Iran to engage substantively to avoid snapback sanctions, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed the need for Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA and engage with the U.S. The talks, the second since the Iran-Israel conflict, follow a “frank” meeting in late July at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. The location for the upcoming talks remains undisclosed. Iran has warned of “consequences” if the snapback mechanism is activated. Foreign Minister Araghchi questioned the E3’s legal and moral authority to resort to the mechanism, while Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the Europeans of “carrying out part of America’s operations.” Larijani also reiterated Iran’s potential to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), though he noted Tehran’s continued commitment despite perceiving no benefits from it. The 2015 nuclear deal, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons—an ambition Tehran denies—was derailed in 2018 when then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and imposed crippling sanctions. Iran has since criticized the E3 for failing to uphold their commitments. While the official deadline for the snapback mechanism is in October, the E3 have set an internal target of late August, offering a possible extension to allow more time for negotiations. However, Larijani rejected the idea of an extension, stating, “Iran truly does not accept this.”

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