European Ministers Threaten Iran with New Sanctions and Call for Immediate Resumption of Nuclear Talks

In a crucial diplomatic call yesterday, Thursday, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, and Germany, along with senior EU diplomats, had a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, marking the first official contact since the Israeli and American airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear program in June last year.

The European ministers emphasized the necessity for Iran to promptly resume nuclear negotiations to reach a "verifiable and sustainable" nuclear agreement, warning of the potential reimposition of international sanctions if tangible progress is not made by the end of summer, according to French diplomatic sources cited by Reuters.

On the other hand, the Iranian government, through its spokesperson Fatemeh Mahjoub, stated that the decision to resume or withdraw from the talks is linked to national interests, stressing the need for American guarantees before returning to the negotiating table.

In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks, Mahjoub rejected the idea of limiting the range of Iranian missiles within any agreement.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh clarified that Tehran has not set a new date or location for negotiations and will not engage in any diplomatic round without positive outcomes assured, pointing out that Israel committed a "crime" against Iran before the sixth round of talks scheduled in June, referring to the Israeli airstrikes that led to a 12-day war.

While US President Donald Trump emphasized that Iran is willing to negotiate but is not in a rush, the situation remains open to various possibilities amid escalating regional tensions, awaiting the EU decisions on imposing new sanctions that could escalate the crisis.