Iran’s Foreign Minister to hold call with European powers on nuclear programme
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to hold a call with British, French and German foreign ministers on Sept 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DUBAI/PARIS – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to hold a call with the British, French and German foreign ministers on Sept 17 as Tehran seeks to avert the reimposition of international sanctions over its nuclear programme.
A French diplomatic source said the call was aimed at discussing the impending reimposition of UN sanctions by the European powers and to reaffirm conditions they have set for Tehran to enable that decision to be delayed.
Tehran on Sept 17 called for a “positive approach and goodwill” by the European powers, known as the E3, which have initiated a one-month process to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal that unravelled 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 (IAEA) last week on resuming cooperation between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog, including, in principle, the inspection of nuclear sites.
In June, Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, saying Iran 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 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 spokesman 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 denies seeking nuclear weapons, and says it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. REUTERS
