Iran has suggested holding talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Rome on 2 May, ahead of a potential new round of nuclear negotiations with the United States, four diplomats familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The European nations, known as the E3, have not yet responded to the proposal, according to the diplomats. An Iranian official confirmed the outreach and noted Tehran also offered to host the meeting in Tehran if Rome was not possible.
The initiative follows renewed diplomatic activity in Oman, where Iran and the US held indirect discussions last weekend, and after Tehran held talks with Russia and China earlier in April.
Omani officials have said another round of US-Iran talks may occur on 3 May in Europe, though no location has been confirmed.
Iran’s approach to the E3 appears intended to gauge European positions on the possible reimposition of United Nations sanctions in October, when a resolution tied to the 2015 nuclear agreement is due to expire.
A Western diplomat said the E3 were evaluating whether to engage with Iran now or wait to see the outcome of US-Iran discussions. A meeting in Tehran was ruled out by the European side.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Thursday he was willing to travel to Europe, while suggesting that the next step rested with European governments.
Since September, Iran and the E3 have met multiple times, including a technical-level meeting in March to explore a possible path forward on nuclear rollback and sanctions relief.
While Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, Western governments remain concerned it could be used to develop weapons. The United States, which withdrew from the 2015 accord in 2018, cannot unilaterally trigger the UN sanctions snapback mechanism.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ