Iran signals willingness to hold nuclear talks with Europeans

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday, April 24, 2025, said he is ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Also, France has indicated that European powers are also ready for dialogue if Tehran shows it is seriously engaged.

Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States.

The negotiations will resume in Oman on Saturday, and after talks with Russia and China this week.

Its message to the European powers that were party to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal suggests Tehran is keeping its options open.

Since September, Tehran and the three European powers have already held several rounds of discussions over their ties and the nuclear issue.

The three European powers are known as the E3 – France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The most recent in March was held at the technical level and looked at the parameters of a future deal.

The deal is aimed at securing a rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions against it.

European diplomats had said they were seeking a new meeting with Iran.

Although the momentum towards talks appeared to stall.

The stall began when Tehran began indirect negotiations on its nuclear programme with US President Donald Trump’s administration this month.

Trump had threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly.

The agreement prevents it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Trump had abandoned the landmark 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers in 2018 during his first term,

“Iran’s relations with the E3 … have experienced ups and downs in recent history.

“Like it or not, they are currently down,” Araghchi wrote on X.

“I once again propose diplomacy.

“After my recent consultations in Moscow & Beijing,

“I am ready to take the first step with visits to Paris, Berlin & London. … The ball is now in the E3’s court.”

‘A diplomatic solution’

The European powers have seen their ties with Iran worsen over other issues.

The issues include:

• its ballistic missile programme,
• detention of foreign citizens and,
• support for Russia in its war in Ukraine.

France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the E3 favoured dialogue.

However, according to him, he wanted to see how serious Iran was.

The Minister made this comment when he was asked about Araghchi’s comments.

He said at a news conference that only solution is a diplomatic solution.

He added that Iran must resolutely engage in this path, and it’s a proposal the E3 have put forward many times.

Therefore, according to him, they will continue dialogue with the Iranians.”

They said Germany and Britain did not immediately comment on the matter.

The US did not tell European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them.

This is even as they hold a key card on the possible reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran.

However, the US lead technical negotiator, Michael Anton, briefed E3 diplomats in Paris on April 17.

This is according to two European diplomats and it suggests that coordination has improved.

Expert-level Iran-US talks will take place on Saturday, Tehran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.

He added that there will be a third round of high-level nuclear talks due on the same day in Oman.

Anton will lead a team of about a dozen US government officials to negotiate.

He was a spokesman for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021,

Western countries have long suspected Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which it has consistently denied.

The threat of renewed sanctions is intended to pressure Tehran into concessions.

This has made detailed discussions on strategy between the Americans and Europeans vital.

This is according to diplomats who spoke with reporters.

Because the US quit the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, it cannot initiate its mechanism for reimposing sanctions, called snapback, at the United Nations Security Council.

That makes the E3, the only other participants in the 2015 deal capable of and interested in pursuing snapback.

Online media reports quote the diplomats as saying the E3 diplomats are looking to trigger snapback by August.

This is as opposed to an earlier June timeframe if no substantial deal can be found by then.

That opportunity expires on October 18 when the 2015 accord ends.

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