Military Space News
NUKEWARS
Iran, European powers hold nuclear talks in Turkey
Iran, European powers hold nuclear talks in Turkey
By Shaun Tandon with Ramin Khanizadeh in Tehran
Istanbul (AFP) May 16, 2025

Iran met with European powers on Friday to discuss its nuclear negotiations with Washington, while US President Donald Trump issued a new threat unless the Iranians "move quickly" towards a deal.

The meeting in Istanbul followed remarks by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning of "irreversible" consequences if Britain, France and Germany move to reimpose United Nations sanctions that were lifted under a landmark 2015 agreement.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended the talks in the Turkish city, said in a post on X: "We exchanged views and discussed the latest status of the indirect nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions."

Gharibabadi added that, if necessary, Tehran would meet again with the so-called E3 -- the European parties to the 2015 deal along with China, Russia and the United States -- to continue discussions, after several meetings since last year.

Trump had effectively torpedoed the deal during his first term, by unilaterally abandoning it in 2018 and reimposing sanctions on Iran's banking sector and oil exports.

A year later, Iran responded by rolling back its own commitments under the deal, which provided relief from sanctions in return for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities.

Speaking Friday in Abu Dhabi, Trump said that his administration had handed Iran a proposal for a new agreement, after four rounds of negotiations in recent weeks.

"They have a proposal, but more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen," Trump said.

Araghchi later wrote on X that "Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly".

He added that an agreement can be reached if Washington lifts sanctions and respects "our rights" -- including to enrich uranium.

"Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes," Araghchi said.

The Iran-US talks mediated by Oman were the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington abandoned the nuclear accord.

- 'Sustain diplomacy' -

The three European powers have been weighing whether to trigger the 2015 deal's "snapback" mechanism, which would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance -- an option that expires in October.

Such a stance "risks provoking a global nuclear proliferation crisis that would primarily affect Europeans themselves", Iran's top diplomat has warned.

However, writing in the French weekly Le Point, he also noted that Tehran was "ready to turn the page" in its relations with Europe.

Gharibabadi said after Friday's meeting that "Iran and the three European countries are determined to sustain and make optimal use of diplomacy".

In a post on X, the UK Foreign Office's political director, Christian Turner, said the parties reaffirmed their "commitment to dialogue, welcomed ongoing US/Iran talks, and given urgency, agreed to meet again."

A US official said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Friday with the French, British and German national security advisers in Istanbul for talks on Iran and Ukraine.

Araghchi has said that the talks with the Europeans and the United States were proceeding on separate track.

China, which held recent talks with Iran on its nuclear programme, said ahead of Friday's talks that it remained "committed to promoting a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iran issue".

- 'Getting close' -

Speaking on a visit to Qatar Thursday, Trump said the United States was "getting close" to a deal with Iran that would avert military action.

"We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran," he said.

Since returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" policy on Tehran, backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails.

Trump has said he presented Iran's leadership with an "olive branch", adding that it was an offer that would not last forever.

He further threatened to impose "massive maximum pressure", including driving Iranian oil exports to zero if talks failed.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Tehran insists its right to continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes is "non-negotiable" but says it would be open to temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level.

On Wednesday, Iran's atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami reiterated that Tehran "does not seek nuclear militarisation", adding that enrichment was under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.

"The dismantling of enrichment is not accepted by Iran," he stressed.

rkh/ami

X

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
NUKEWARS
Iran, European powers to hold nuclear talks in Turkey
Tehran (AFP) May 16, 2025
Iran is set to hold talks with Britain, France and Germany in Turkey on Friday, after US President Donald Trump said a nuclear deal with Tehran was "getting close". The Istanbul meeting follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's warning of "irreversible" consequences if the European powers move to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 deal. The so-called E3 were parties to that agreement along with China, Russia and the United States. But Trump effectively t ... read more

NUKEWARS
Trump unveils plans for 'Golden Dome' missile shield for US

Israel says intercepted missile from Yemen, Huthis claim attack

Israel army says intercepts missile from Yemen, Huthis claim strike

Israel warns Yemenis to avoid ports after intercepting missile

NUKEWARS
Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: ministers

US sanctions Chinese, HK firms for aiding Iran's missile program

Israel military tells Yemenis to evacuate Huthi-run ports

North Korea fires flurry of short-range ballistic missiles

NUKEWARS
Chinese Combat Drones Secure Global Market Lead in Counterterrorism

Least confident drone bids drive smarter delivery networks

Drones drag Sudan war into dangerous new territory

Lyten Unveils U.S.-Made Lithium-Sulfur Battery Platform for Advanced Drone Propulsion

NUKEWARS
Skynet 6A military satellite advances with successful module integration

Retired four-star US admiral convicted on corruption charges

Space Laser Communication Terminal Prototypes Enter Phase 2 for Advanced On-Orbit Crosslink Compatibility

China launches advanced Tianlian II-05 relay satellite to boost space communications

NUKEWARS
Lithuania's parliament votes to withdraw from landmines treaty

Denmark to add 5,000 military positions

Nordics, Lithuania plan joint purchase of combat vehicles

Germany leads allies in $24B military aid package for Ukraine

NUKEWARS
'Paradigm shift': Germany says to meet Trump's NATO spending target

UK FM says EU defence pact will 'complement' NATO

EU finalises 150-bn-euro loan scheme to rearm

UK govt defends supplying fighter jet parts to Israel

NUKEWARS
Trump to discuss end of 'bloodbath' with Putin, Zelensky

Is NATO set to agree spending 5% of GDP on defence? Not q

Warm Trump-Erdogan ties puts Turkey at heart of peace diplomacy

China says ready to 'expand practical cooperation' with Russian army

NUKEWARS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.