Written by Parisa Hafezi and John Irish
GENEVA (Reuters) – Diplomats from Europe and Iran met on Friday to discuss whether they can enter into critical talks, including on Iran’s nuclear program, before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
The meetings in Geneva, the first since the US election, come after Tehran was angered by a European-sponsored resolution last week that condemned Iran for poor cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran expects the talks to be “difficult and serious.” He added that next week Tehran will inform Russia and China, the non-Western signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that Trump abandoned during his last term. .
Trump, who after withdrawing from the nuclear deal pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” that sought to destroy Iran’s economy, is working on his new administration with prominent Iran hawks.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and chief negotiator for nuclear weapons, Majid Takhtravanchi, met with EU negotiator Enrique Mora on Thursday evening and held talks on Friday with senior ambassadors from Britain, Germany and France, known as E3.
Although Trump’s return to power leaves many open questions, four European politicians said at E3 countries felt it was important to join forces now because time is running out.
Mora said the exchange was frank and focused on Iran’s military support for Russia, the Middle East situation and the nuclear issue.
A senior Iranian official said the three issues were “interrelated”.
The level of mistrust between the two sides was highlighted when the E3, the European groups in the 2015 nuclear agreement, on November 21 advanced the decision of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which criticized Iran.
Tehran responded to the decision by informing the IAEA that it plans to install more centrifuges to enrich uranium at its enrichment facilities.
“If we finalize the roadmap with France, Britain and Germany on how to resolve the nuclear conflict, the ball will be in the US court to renew or kill the 2015 nuclear agreement,” said a senior Iranian official.
The European official also said that the main goal is to try to agree on a calendar timeline and a framework for starting the faith talks so that there is a clear commitment from the Iranians to start negotiating something concrete before Trump arrives.
E3 has adopted a tough stance on Iran in recent months, especially since Tehran increased its military support for Russia. However, they have been insisting that they want to maintain a policy of pressure and dialogue.
Iranian officials say their main goal will be to find ways to lift the sanctions.
FEAR OF WAR
The 2015 deal lifted international sanctions against Iran in order for Tehran to accept other measures to curtail its nuclear program. Since Trump left the deal, Iran has accelerated its nuclear program while reducing the IAEA’s ability to monitor it.
“There won’t be a deal until Trump takes office or any serious negotiations about the substance of the deal,” said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.
The talks also come as tensions between Iran and arch-rival Israel could escalate into a full-scale war, despite a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Iran’s allies in Hezbollah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he wants to change Israel’s focus on Iran.
European countries hope that Iran will decide to start negotiating new limits on its nuclear activities, although not going further than what was agreed in 2015, with the aim of a deal by the summer.
That would provide enough time to implement new restrictions on Iran’s program and lift sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025. It’s unclear whether Trump will support the talks.
If no new deal is agreed, the E3 could trigger a so-called “snapback”, a process under the 2015 agreement where the issue is referred to the UN Security Council and sanctions can be reinstated.
Iran, which has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, has warned it will revise its nuclear doctrine if that happens.
“The snapback is a major obstacle to resolving the nuclear conflict,” an Iranian official said.
(Writing and reporting by John Irish and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Deepa Babington)
