GENEVA: European and Iranian officials made little progress in meetings on Friday on whether they could engage in serious talks, including on Iran’s nuclear program, before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
The meetings in Geneva, the first since this month’s US election, came as Tehran was angered by last week’s European-backed resolution criticizing Iran for poor cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
“Another round of candid talks with PDS [political directors] of France, Germany and Britain,” former Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X. “It was agreed to continue diplomatic talks in the near future.”
A European official said there was nothing remarkable about the meeting, but that Tehran had shown an eagerness to see how diplomacy might work in the next few weeks.
Trump, who pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” after pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that sought to destroy Iran’s economy, has given his new administration Working with the famous hawks on Iran.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator, Majid Takhtarovanchi, met with EU coordinator Enrique Mora on Thursday evening before holding various talks with European diplomats on Friday, known as E3.
While Trump’s return to power leaves many questions open, four European diplomats said the E3 countries – the European parties to the 2015 agreement – felt it was important to get involved now because time was running out. .
The level of mistrust between the two sides was highlighted when the E3 on November 21 moved forward with a resolution of the IAEA’s Board of Governors that criticized Iran.
He described Iran’s last-minute move to limit its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium as insufficient and insincere.
Tehran responded to the resolution by informing the IAEA that it plans to install more uranium enrichment centrifuges at its enrichment plants.
In rare public comments, Nicolas Lerner, the head of France’s foreign intelligence service, said Friday that there is a real risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation in the coming months.
“Our services are working side-by-side to deal with what is undoubtedly the most, if not the most, significant threat in the coming months… Possible Nuclear Proliferation in Iran”. Both agencies were determining their strategy.
A European official previously said the main goal in Geneva was to try to agree on a calendar timeline and framework for the start of the talks in good faith so that the Iranians could begin substantive talks before Trump arrives. Have a clear commitment.
It was not immediately clear if any such progress had been made.
“If we finalize a roadmap with France, Britain and Germany on how to resolve the nuclear standoff, the ball will be in the U.S. court to restore or scrap the 2015 nuclear deal,” the senior Iranian official said. “.
The E3 has taken a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, particularly since Tehran has increased its military support for Russia. However, he has always insisted that he wants to maintain a policy of pressure and dialogue.
Iranian officials say their main goal is to find safe ways to lift sanctions.
Fear of war
Under the 2015 deal, international sanctions against Iran were lifted in exchange for Tehran accepting some restrictions on its nuclear program. Since Trump pulled out of the deal, Iran has ramped up its nuclear program and limited the IAEA’s oversight capacity.
“There’s not going to be a deal until Trump takes office or talks seriously about the shape of a deal,” said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association advocacy group. ”
The talks, which also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Iran’s military cooperation with Russia, came amid fears that despite a cease-fire in Lebanon between Israel and Iran’s Hezbollah allies, Iran and the traditional An all-out war could break out between rival Israels.
European powers hope Iran will decide to open talks on new restrictions on its nuclear activities with a view to reaching a deal by the summer.
That would give Iran plenty of time to implement new limits on its program and lift sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025. It is unclear whether Trump will support negotiations.