Iranian and European officials convened in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the status of Iran’s nuclear program and ways to prevent further escalation.
The meeting between deputy foreign ministers of Iran, the UK, France and Germany, set to take place at the Iranian Consulate General in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, will focus on Tehran’s nuclear program.
A planned meeting between Iran and the E3 in Rome on May 2 was canceled following the postponement of indirect Iran-US nuclear negotiations.
Iran remains concerned that the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal may trigger the so-called “snapback mechanism,” which would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the agreement.
This mechanism expires on Oct. 18.
If no diplomatic solution is reached before then, European nations are expected to consider invoking the clause.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a May 11 op-ed in French daily Le Point that abusing the snapback mechanism could escalate tensions irreversibly and “mark not only the end of Europe’s role in the agreement, but also a dangerous turning point.”
He also called on European nations to hold further nuclear dialogue with Iran.