ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - European officials reiterated on Monday that Iran must return to the negotiating table or face the full reimposition of sanctions that were lifted a decade ago under the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, “It is very simple. Thanks to the deal we struck ten years ago, Iran took major steps back in its nuclear program, but this agreement will expire in a few months.” He was referring to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
In return, Iran received substantial relief from international nuclear-related sanctions.
Barrot noted that if European countries “collectively reach an agreement [with Tehran] that constrains the Iranian nuclear program and, as I said, its ballistic missile capabilities and regional destabilizing activities,” then “there is a possibility of not reapplying the sanctions that had been lifted ten years ago.”
However, the top French diplomat warned that if no deal is reached, “We will have no choice but to reapply all the lifted sanctions.”
For his part, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters on Monday that while Iran has shown some willingness to negotiate, “I believe Iran’s determination and clarity must increase.
“I firmly believe there is a chance to resolve this crisis through negotiations, and Europe will do its utmost to make that happen,” Wadephul added.
The remarks from the French and German foreign ministers come days after they, along with British Foreign Minister David Lammy - representing the E3 - met with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday. The talks aimed to urge Tehran to return to negotiations and avoid further escalation with Israel.
Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated sharply after Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, killing several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with multiple missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets.
In a significant escalation, the United States launched airstrikes on Sunday targeting Iran’s three main nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Since the US strikes, Iran’s appetite for negotiations appears to have diminished.
In a Sunday statement on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy,” and “this week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy.”
Addressing European officials urging Iran to return to the negotiating table, Araghchi asked, “How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?”
Iran targeted US troops based in Qatar late Monday in retaliation for the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
