Iran and EU discuss nuclear issues, Russia and the Middle East in Switzerland

Tehran discussed more than nuclear issues with the EU in Geneva Keystone-SDA

Iran continued its nuclear talks with European officials in Switzerland. After meeting with French, German, and British representatives on Monday, they continued discussions with the EU representatives on Tuesday. The talks also touched on Russia and the Middle East.

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On Monday evening, Tehran and the three European states issued brief statements, describing their talks as “serious, frank and constructive”. Tuesday’s discussions with the EU representative followed a similar pattern.

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Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, described the format as “open and constructive” on social media. He added that the meeting, also attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, had “mainly” focused on nuclear issues.

They also discussed “issues of common interest” and the “unacceptable European support for the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza,” said Gharibabadi.

Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General of European diplomacy, said the two sides had “explored avenues for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue”. “I also addressed Iran’s unacceptable military support for Russia,” he added using language similar to that of his Iranian counterpart when criticising European actors in the Middle East.

Following talks in November, these new consultations took place just days before Donald Trump’s return to power. The former and future US president had previously withdrawn the US from the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the West.

Iran aims to get the sanctions lifted. Meanwhile, the three European states are worried about the progress of Iran’s nuclear programme. In early December, they expressed their “concern” in a letter to the UN Security Council, urging Iran not to escalate the situation.

They also stated they were prepared to reimpose sanctions “to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons”. Tehran has started using new centrifuges at Fordo, one of the country’s largest facilities, in central Iran. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium to 60%. While Iran claims it intends to use these resources for civilian purposes, the West remains sceptical.

Translated from French by DeepL/sp

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