Iran has offered to meet with the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – the United Kingdom, France and Germany (E3 group) – before the next round of talks with the United States. Reuters reports this with reference to four diplomatic sources.
The proposal for a meeting, likely in Rome as early as this Friday, is a sign that Tehran is seeking to keep open various options for diplomatic steps and to assess Europe’s position on the potential renewal of UN sanctions in October, when the current resolution on ratification of the deal expires.
If no agreement is reached on a meeting in Rome, Iran is ready to host E3 delegations in Tehran. At the same time, diplomats note that the option of negotiations in Iran has been ruled out.
The second round of consultations between Washington and Tehran took place in Rome last Saturday, but serious differences between the parties remain. According to an Iranian official, “a meeting with the E3 countries before the next round of talks with the Americans would be useful to maintain a unified position among the parties to the 2015 deal.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has previously announced his readiness to travel to Europe for such talks.
Currently, only the United Kingdom, France and Germany have the right to initiate a mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran, as the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and lost the relevant legal instrument.
