Representatives from Britain, France and Germany failed to reach an agreement with their Iranian counterpart on how to avoid UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, just days before the deadline for the JCPOA nuclear deal.
This was reported by the Associated Press, citing a diplomat.
Talks in Switzerland between representatives of Britain, France and Germany, known as the “E3”, and Iran “ended without a final outcome” on August 26, a diplomat familiar with the meeting said on condition of anonymity.
These talks followed a previous meeting between the Europeans and Iran in Istanbul on July 25.
The diplomat said efforts to find a solution would continue until the end of August, when the so-called sanctions reinstatement mechanism expires. This deadline was set in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Currently, Western countries believe that Iran has not fulfilled the terms of that agreement.
Iranʼs Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi wrote in X that Tehran "remains committed to diplomacy" and that the "best time" has come for European countries to "make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space".
The launch of the sanctions resumption mechanism involves a return to the broad-based UN restrictions that were in place before the 2015 agreement. The sanctions include an embargo on conventional arms, restrictions on the development of ballistic missiles, asset freezes, a ban on foreign travel and the production of nuclear-related technologies.
Iranian nuclear program
Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, even though it is the only non-nuclear country to enrich uranium to this level. The United States, the IAEA and others say Iran had a nuclear weapons program before 2003.
European concern about Iranʼs nuclear program increased further after the IDF attacked its nuclear facilities in June 2025 during a 12-day escalation of the conflict with Israel, and Tehran completely stopped cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
On the night of June 22, the US attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities in the cities of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Details of the operation can be found here.
On the night of June 24, the US President Donald Trump reported that Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete ceasefire. A few hours later, Israel confirmed the start of the ceasefire.
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