Iran has disclosed that it would hold renewed talks this week with European nations over the country’s nuclear program, with discussions to be hosted by Turkey.
The talks, to be held in Istanbul on Friday, July 25, 2025,will be the first since a ceasefire was reached after a 12-day war waged by Israel against Iran in June, which also saw the United States strike nuclear-related facilities in the Islamic Republic. A similar meeting had been held in the Turkish city in May.
The discussions will bring Iranian officials together with officials from Britain, France and Germany — known as the E3 nations — and will include the European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei said in his weekly briefing, “The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear program of Iran.”
He said that the meeting will be held at the deputy ministerial level. Baghaei added that Tehran would also “seek answers” because the countries did not condemn the Israeli and US strikes.
German Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Martin Giese told reporters in Berlin that “the talks are taking place at expert level.”
He asserted that Iran must never come into possession of a nuclear weapon so Germany, France and Britain are “continuing to work … at high pressure on a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program.” he added, “This course of action is also coordinated with the US.”
“It’s very clear that, should no solution be reached by the end of August … snapback remains an option for the E3.”
Martin Giese
Under a 2015 deal designed to cap Iran’s nuclear activities, Iran agreed to tough restrictions on its international program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.
The deal began to unravel in 2018, when the United States pulled out of it and began to reimpose certain sanctions.
The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran.
European countries have recently threatened to trigger the 2015 deal’s “snapback” mechanism, which would allow sanctions to be reimposed in the case of non-compliance by Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi said in a letter to UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday that the three European nations lack “any legal, political, and moral standing” to invoke such mechanisms, and accused Britain, France and Germany of failing to uphold their commitments in the deal.
“Attempting to trigger ‘snapback’ under these circumstances, in defiance of established facts and prior communications, constitutes an abuse of process that the international community must reject.”
Abbas Araghchi
He also criticized the three European nations for “providing political and material support to the recent unprovoked and illegal military aggression of the Israeli regime and the US.”
Iran To Meet With China And Russia
Meanwhile, Iran will host a meeting with China and Russia on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to discuss the threat by top European powers to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism — reimposing international sanctions — if there was no progress on nuclear talks by the end of August.
The meeting in Tehran comes days ahead of nuclear talks between Iran and the E3 (France, Britain and Germany) in Istanbul on Friday.
The meeting between Iran, China and Russia will take place in Tehran at the level of foreign ministry Director Generals.
“We are continuously coordinating with these countries on how to prevent (the snapback mechanism) or to mitigate its consequences.”
Esmail Baghaei
Also, Baghaei asserted that there were currently no plans to resume nuclear talks with the United States, with whom Tehran held five rounds of indirect negotiations prior to Israel’s strikes on Iran last month.
Iran has accused the US of complicity in the Israeli attack, which killed top Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists and hundreds of civilians.
The US also launched strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, claiming to have “obliterated” them. A ceasefire took effect on June 24, 2025.
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