Iran to meet European nations for crucial nuclear talks

TEHRAN: Iran is scheduled to meet France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Friday for talks on its nuclear program.

The meeting comes after the three European nations, along with the United States, jointly decided to criticize Tehran through the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

Last week’s criticism prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signaled a willingness to work with other parties ahead of the return of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose last administration pursued a “maximum pressure” policy. against the Islamic Republic.

Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who serves as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s political deputy, is scheduled to represent Iran at the talks on Friday.

He will meet beforehand with Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general of the EU’s foreign affairs department, according to state news agency IRNA.

Last week, the 35-nation governing body of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear matters.

The resolution was tabled by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States and was strongly opposed by Tehran.

In response, Iran announced the launch of “new advanced centrifuges” designed to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Tehran’s willingness to sit down with the three European countries so soon after the censure comes just weeks before Trump returns to the White House in January.

During his first term, Trump focused on imposing heavy sanctions on Iran after the United States unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, three years after it was established.

That deal between Tehran and the major powers was intended to give Iran relief from crippling Western sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

In retaliation for the US withdrawal, Tehran lowered its compliance with the accord, increasing uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent — close to the 90 percent required for a nuclear bomb.

Tehran has consistently denied any intention to pursue nuclear weapons.

For Tehran, the aim of Friday’s talks is to avoid a “double whammy” scenario, in which it would face renewed pressure from both Trump and European nations, according to political analyst Mostafa Shirmohammadi.

He noted that Iran’s support among European nations had been eroded by allegations that it offered military assistance to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Iran has denied these accusations and hopes to improve relations with Europe while maintaining a firm stance.

“Legal Obligations”

The IAEA’s resolution of censure urged Iran to “fulfill its legal obligations” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ratified in 1970, which requires member states to declare and maintain their nuclear materials under the IAEA oversight.

In response, Foreign Minister Araghchi, who played a key role in the 2015 nuclear negotiations, said Iran had ordered “several thousand advanced centrifuges.”

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said on Wednesday that they had started to inject gas into the centrifuges.

Centrifuges work by rapidly spinning uranium gas to increase the proportion of the fissile isotope U-235.

Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but according to the IAEA, it is the only non-nuclear weapon state that has enriched uranium by 60%.

Under the 2015 deal — which expires in October 2025 — Iran’s enrichment was capped at 3.67 percent.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate decision-making authority in Iran, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, banning the use of atomic weapons.

Iran’s nuclear program dates back to the late 1950s, when the United States, then an ally, signed a political cooperation agreement with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.