On Friday 25 July, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, Kazem Gharibabadi, said that his discussions with representatives of the E3 (Germany, France, the United Kingdom) and the EU in Istanbul on his country’s nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions had been “serious, frank and thorough”.
“While strongly criticising their positions on the recent war of aggression against our people, we explained our positions of principle, particularly on the so-called ‘snapback’ mechanism (reinstatement of sanctions - editor’s note). Both parties presented precise ideas, the various aspects of which were examined at”, stressed the Minister.
He added that the parties had agreed to continue consultations. According to journalists on site, the exchanges lasted several hours.
If Iran fails to make progress in meeting its commitments regarding its nuclear programme, the Europeans could call for the re-imposition, from the end of August, of the sanctions lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)