Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was set to hold a call with the British, French, and German foreign ministers on Wednesday as Tehran seeks to avert the re-imposition of international sanctions over its nuclear program.
A French diplomatic source said the call was aimed at discussing the impending re-imposition of UN sanctions by the European powers and to reaffirm conditions they have set for Tehran to enable that decision to be delayed.
Tehran called on Wednesday for a “positive approach and goodwill” by the European powers, known as the E3, which have initiated a one-month process to re-impose sanctions on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal that unraveled after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out in 2018.
The call, which will also include European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, follows an agreement reached by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency last week on resuming cooperation between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog, including, in principle, the inspection of nuclear sites.
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities, saying the Islamic Republic was getting too close to being able to produce a nuclear weapon, and IAEA inspections were interrupted over security concerns and complaints by Tehran.
Resumed cooperation between Iran and the IAEA is one of the three conditions set by European powers to hold off completing the UN snapback mechanism — the automatic re-imposition of UN Security Council sanctions — which they invoked in August.
“It is a natural expectation that Iran’s positive approach and goodwill should be reciprocated by the European side… If some European parties start nagging, this is not enough. That would mean they do not accept the IAEA,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
“We hope that with contacts, like today and future ones, all parties will come to the conclusion that escalating tensions and perpetuating the current situation is not in anyone’s interest.”
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Tehran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.