Iran has confirmed it will hold nuclear discussions with Britain, France, and Germany, known as the E3, in Istanbul on July 25, 2025. This meeting marks the first since the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai announced: “In response to the request of European countries, Iran has agreed to hold a new round of talks.” The agenda centres on Iran’s nuclear program, which Western nations and Israel accuse of weapons development, a charge Tehran denies.
A German diplomatic source told AFP: “Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear programme.”
The E3 have warned of reimposing sanctions via the JCPOA’s “snapback” mechanism if talks fail by late August 2025. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected this: “If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the ‘snap-back’ for which they lack absolutely any moral and legal ground.”
Iran to resume nuclear talks with European troika next week. Deputy FM Takht-Ravanchi to lead Tehran’s delegation in discussions on the trigger mechanism and E3 compliance with JCPOA.https://t.co/Je6rXDVasv
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 20, 2025Araghchi argued the E3 lost their JCPOA participant status by supporting Israel and US strikes: “Through their actions and statements, including providing political and material support to the recent unprovoked and illegal military aggression of the Israeli regime and the US… the E3 have relinquished their role as ‘Participants’ in the JCPOA.”
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) restricted Iran’s nuclear activities for sanctions relief. The US withdrew in 2018 under Trump, reimposing penalties. European nations, China, and Russia remain committed.
Germany, France, and the UK (the E3) are preparing to hold a new round of discussions with Iran regarding its nuclear program. The talks are scheduled to take place in Switzerland in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/CwUcEQldd8
— SITREP (@SITREP_artorias) July 20, 2025Israel targeted Iranian sites on June 13, 2025; the US struck Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz on June 22. Iran and the US held Omani-mediated talks before these attacks, but Trump’s involvement ended them.
Read: Iran Restores Air Defenses After Israel Conflict
On July 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iran’s top nuclear adviser, Ali Larijani, in the Kremlin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin shared Russia’s positions on stabilising the region and settling Iran’s nuclear program politically. Ali Velayati, adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated Iran rejects talks conditioned on abandoning uranium enrichment.
