France, Britain and Germany have told Iran that it must immediately resume diplomatic talks on its nuclear program and have warned of the reinstatement of UN sanctions if concrete steps are not taken by the end of the summer, Reuters reports.
Foreign ministers from major European economies, along with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for the first time since joint Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Speaking about the call, a French diplomatic source said the ministers urged Iran to immediately resume talks to conclude a credible and sustainable nuclear deal. Germany, Britain and France, along with Russia and China, are parties to the 2015 deal that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
The UN Security Council resolution that upholds the deal expires on the 18th of October, and under its terms, sanctions can be renewed before the end of the term; the process would take about 30 days. European officials have repeatedly warned that if there is no new nuclear deal,
sanctions will be renewed on the basis of non-compliance with the terms of the deal.
UN nuclear inspectors have left Iran since the June strikes. Although Tehran insists it is open to dialogue, there is no sign that talks between Iran and the United States could resume anytime soon. Diplomats have said that even if talks resume, it is unlikely that a deal on the nuclear program will be reached by the European deadline of the end of August, especially given that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are no longer in Iran.
Two European diplomats said they hoped to coordinate with the United States in the coming days to potentially start talks with Iran.
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