ISTANBUL, July 25 (AFP): Iranian diplomats will meet counterparts from Germany, Britain and France on Friday for renewed nuclear talks, amid warnings that the three European powers could trigger "snapback" sanctions outlined under the 2015 deal.
The meeting, set to take place in Istanbul, will be the first since Israel's mid-June attack on Iran, which sparked a 12-day war and targeted key nuclear and military sites.
Israel's offensive -- which killed top commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others as residential areas were struck as well -- also derailed US-Iran nuclear talks that began in April.
Since then, the European powers, known as the E3, have threatened to trigger the "snapback mechanism", which would reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran by the end of August, under the effectively moribund 2015 nuclear deal.
The option to trigger the snapback expires in October, and Tehran has warned of consequences should the E3 opt to activate it. "Inaction by the E3 is not an option," a European source said, noting that Tehran would be reminded during the meeting that the snapback window closes this autumn.
The source said Europeans are preparing to trigger the mechanism "in the absence of a negotiated solution" and called on Iran to make "clear gestures" regarding uranium enrichment and the resumption of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who will attend the talks Friday, alongside senior Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, warned this week that triggering sanctions "is completely illegal".
He also accused European powers of "halting their commitments" to the deal after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term.
"We have warned them of the risks, but we are still seeking common ground to manage the situation," said Gharibabadi.
Iranian diplomats have previously warned that Tehran could withdraw from the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty if UN sanctions are reimposed. Restoring sanctions would deepen Iran's international isolation and place further pressure on its already strained economy.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has urged European powers to trigger the mechanism. Israel's June 13 attack on Iran came two days before Tehran and Washington were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of nuclear negotiations.
On June 22, the United States itself struck Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.
Before the war, Washington and Tehran were divided over uranium enrichment, which Iran has described as a "non-negotiable" right, while the United States called it a "red line".
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is enriching uranium to 60 percent purity -- far above the 3.67 percent cap under the 2015 deal and close to weapons-grade levels.
