Dubai – Iran, along with Britain, France, and Germany, could hold talks next week on Tehran’s nuclear program, according to semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, following warnings from the three European powers that international sanctions could be reinstated if Iran fails to resume negotiations. 

Tasnim reported the agreement to restart talks, citing a local source, which was later confirmed by a German diplomatic official. 

“The principle of the talks has been agreed upon, but consultations are still underway regarding timing and location. The host country has not yet been finalized,” Tasnim reported, citing an informed source.

An additional German diplomatic source said the E3 — Germany, France, and Britain — is in contact with Iran to arrange new talks next week, following European warnings that sanctions could be reimposed if negotiations do not resume.

According to Sky News Arabia, the new round could take place in Geneva on Sunday, July 27. 

This announcement comes days after foreign ministers from the so-called E3 countries and the EU’s foreign policy chief held their first call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites a month ago. 

Three European nations, along with China and Russia, remain parties to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran — the agreement from which the United States withdrew in 2018 — that lifted sanctions in exchange for limits on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Earlier, the E3 announced that UN sanctions could be reimposed on Tehran through the so-called “snapback” mechanism by late August if ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the United States do not resume or fail to yield results.

The snapback mechanism allows UN sanctions to be reinstated before the October 18 expiration of the Security Council resolution that enshrines the deal. 

The run-up to Iran vs. the United States

Before the Israeli-Iranian conflict, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman, facing major obstacles such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want reduced to zero to minimize any risk of weapons production.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. 

Ahead of the upcoming Europe-Iran talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with Ali Larijani, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to discuss nuclear issues. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Larijani “presented assessments on the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear program,” underlining the increasing international stakes as diplomatic efforts resume. 

With tensions rising and sanctions looming, the upcoming talks represent a critical juncture for Iran and Europe, as well as for the broader global effort to maintain stability in the Middle East.