Iran plans to discuss its contentious nuclear program with three European powers on November 29 in Geneva, a report from Japan’s Kyodo news agency revealed, just days after the UN atomic watchdog passed a critical resolution against Tehran.
The resolution, backed by Britain, France, Germany, and the United States, prompted Tehran to activate numerous advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
In response to these developments, under President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian government is reportedly seeking a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear deadlock before the January inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
A senior Iranian official affirmed that the talks would proceed next Friday, emphasizing Iran’s commitment to resolving nuclear issues through diplomacy and stating, “Iran has never withdrawn from the talks.”
Queries directed to the Swiss foreign ministry regarding the meeting were referred to the involved countries.
The backdrop to these talks includes the 2018 decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with six major powers and reimpose severe sanctions. This move led Tehran to breach the agreement’s terms by accumulating enriched uranium, enhancing its fissile purity, and installing advanced centrifuges to boost production.
Efforts to resurrect the agreement through indirect negotiations between President Joe Biden’s administration and Tehran have stalled. However, Trump, during his September election campaign, stressed the necessity of reaching a deal, stating, “We have to make a deal, because the consequences are impossible. We have to make a deal.”
