Iran–Europe nuclear talks stall as UN sanctions near

2025-09-17 08:49:00

On Wednesday, diplomats confirmed that talks between Iran’s foreign minister and his European counterparts made no progress toward averting the reimposition of international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The European troika — Britain, France, and Germany — has launched a one-month process to restore sanctions, setting conditions for Iran to meet by September to persuade the three states to delay activating the “snapback” mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Reuters reported that according to diplomats, the offer to postpone activation for up to six months hinges on two requirements: Iran must allow the return of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors to verify its growing stockpile of enriched uranium, and it must engage in talks with the United States.

Wednesday’s call between the troika foreign ministers, the EU foreign policy chief, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi followed a deal reached last week between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on resuming cooperation in principle, including inspections of nuclear sites.