Larijani and Powell Agree to Continue Consultation on the Nuclear File
The Secretary-General of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, discussed over a phone call on Wednesday with British National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, ways to activate nuclear negotiations and find a solution to the "snapback mechanism".
Larijani's office reported that the two sides agreed to "continue exchanging views to organize nuclear issues through negotiations".
The phone call came after the three European countries (Britain, France, and Germany) activated the "snapback mechanism" a few days ago, which allows for the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Tehran under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, noting that the authority to reactivate these sanctions will expire next October.
For his part, Larijani expressed Tehran's openness to conduct talks with the United States regarding its nuclear program, while rejecting any discussion about imposing restrictions on the Iranian missile program.
Larijani stated in a post on the "X" platform: "The path to negotiations with the United States is not closed, however, the Americans only talk about negotiations and do not come to the negotiating table, falsely claiming that Iran is not negotiating".
He added: "They propose restrictions that they know cannot be achieved, such as restrictions on missiles, presenting a model that practically leads to closing the path to negotiations".
It is worth mentioning that nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington stopped in mid-June, following an Israeli attack on Iran in which the United States participated by carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Washington had withdrawn from the nuclear agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's administration and reimposed its sanctions on Tehran, which later responded by retreating from some of its commitments under the agreement, especially regarding uranium enrichment levels.
Western countries suspect Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran firmly denies, asserting that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful and civilian purposes.
For its part, the United States welcomed the European step regarding the "snapback mechanism", indicating its openness to conduct direct talks with Iran.
