Iranian state media has announced that Tehran will resume nuclear discussions with Britain, France, and Germany in Geneva on Tuesday, alongside representatives of the European Union. The negotiations will take place at the deputy foreign ministerial level.
This marks the second round of talks since Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel in mid-June, a confrontation that prompted the United States to launch strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. The first post-war discussions were held in Istanbul on July 25.
Tehran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following the war, accusing the UN nuclear watchdog of failing to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities. The escalation, including unprecedented Israeli bombings and Iran’s retaliatory attacks, derailed Tehran’s parallel negotiations with Washington.
The European powers have since warned that they may activate the “snapback mechanism” contained in the 2015 nuclear deal, a move that would restore UN sanctions previously lifted under the accord. They argue that Iran must scale back its uranium enrichment and restore full cooperation with IAEA inspectors.
Iran, however, contests the legitimacy of this threat, insisting that the European parties themselves have fallen short of their commitments under the agreement.
The nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in 2015 by Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia. Under the deal, Iran was granted sanctions relief in return for strict limits on its nuclear programme, which was designed to ensure it could not produce a nuclear weapon—a goal Tehran has consistently denied pursuing.
The future of the JCPOA was thrown into crisis in 2018 when the United States, under then-President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew and reinstated heavy economic sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran began gradually reducing its compliance with the deal, particularly by expanding uranium enrichment.
Despite Washington’s exit, Britain, France, and Germany reiterated their commitment to the agreement and maintained economic ties with Tehran. Consequently, neither UN nor European sanctions were reinstated at the time, even as US measures returned in full force.
