Iran has proposed a meeting with representatives of Britain, France and Germany - the so-called "European Troika" (E3) - this Friday in Rome, in case the resumed talks with the United States continue. This was announced by four diplomats quoted by "Reuters". However, the European countries have not yet responded to the invitation from Tehran, News.bg reports.
The proposal comes at a delicate moment - after the talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Saturday and the subsequent consultations with Russia and China. Diplomatic sources said a new round of talks between Tehran and Washington could take place in Europe on May 3, although a final decision on the matter has not yet been made.
If the Rome meeting does not take place, Iran has proposed that it be moved to Tehran by the end of the week - an option that European countries categorically reject. Tehran's aim is to sound out the position of European countries on the possible restoration of UN sanctions before the expiration of the key resolution that ratified the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he was ready to travel to Europe to continue the dialogue, but stressed that "the ball is in the European court" after the deterioration of relations between the countries. London and Berlin declined to comment on the invitation, and Paris has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, France has made it clear that it will not hesitate to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if the talks fail to produce an agreement. "If European security interests are not guaranteed, we will not hesitate for a second to reimpose all sanctions that were lifted ten years ago," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the UN Security Council.
According to him, the possibility of activating the "rapid return" mechanism for sanctions expires on October 18, but the E3 countries are considering taking the step as early as August if there is no breakthrough by then.
"These sanctions would cut off Iran's access to technology, investment and the European market. That would be catastrophic for the Iranian economy. That is not what we want. "We therefore call on Tehran to act now to avoid the worst," Barrot added.
Iran, for its part, claims it is ready for a new deal and is willing to take steps to limit uranium enrichment, but remains skeptical of a possible interim agreement due to the previous US refusal to fulfill its commitments. In this context, Tehran is trying to speed up the negotiation process and avoid the possibility of unilaterally reinstating sanctions.