Iran will meet with Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union in Geneva on Tuesday for a new round of nuclear talks, state media reported. The talks will be held at the level of deputy foreign ministers and mark the second meeting since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in mid-June.
The previous round took place in Istanbul on July 25. The Geneva talks come after Iran suspended cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
The European trio—Britain, France, and Germany—have warned they may trigger a “snapback mechanism” under the 2015 nuclear deal if Iran does not limit uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with IAEA inspectors. Tehran disputes this, claiming the Europeans have not honored their commitments.
The 2015 agreement, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, ensuring it could not develop a nuclear weapon. The United States withdrew unilaterally from the deal in 2018, reimposing economic sanctions.
The snapback mechanism allows the reimposition of UN sanctions that were lifted under the accord. The European countries have offered to extend the activation deadline, currently set for October, if Iran resumes nuclear talks with Washington and re-engages with the IAEA.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that the European powers have no legal right to trigger the mechanism unilaterally. Officials in Geneva will discuss a schedule for renewed inspections, uranium enrichment limits, and steps toward restoring full compliance with the JCPOA.