Iran and Europe start nuclear talks: What we know so far
Photo: Iran and European countries have begun nuclear talks (Getty Images)
Representatives of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany met with Iranian diplomats in Istanbul for talks on Tehran's nuclear program, according to France 24.
According to media reports, the talks began at 9:30 a.m. and will last until around 3:30 p.m. local time.
France 24 recalls that this is the first meeting to take place since Israel's attack on Iran in mid-June, which provoked a 12-day standoff between the two countries. Since then, European countries have been threatening Tehran to restore United Nations sanctions by the end of August. The possibility of restoring the sanctions regime ends in October.
"The source said that the Europeans are preparing to trigger the mechanism "in the absence of a negotiated solution" and called on Iran to make "clear gestures" on uranium enrichment and resuming cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog," writes France 24.
Ahead of the talks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the meeting would be "test of realism for the Europeans and a valuable opportunity to correct their views on Iran's nuclear issue."
Negotiations with Iran
During talks between US special representative Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the US side proposed creating a regional consortium to enrich uranium outside Iran, but Tehran rejected the proposal.
Meanwhile, French leader Emmanuel Macron announced a comprehensive diplomatic plan that his country is developing with the UK and Germany. It covers not only Iran's nuclear program but also its ballistic missiles program.
