Iran turns to Russia ahead of E3 nuclear talks: What to know
The meeting on Tuesday follows a call on Monday between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Putin expressed support for Iran's nuclear program and its upcoming talks.
Iran is set to hold talks with French, German and British officials on Tuesday, as the three European countries weigh the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.
What happened: Iran’s semiofficial news outlet Tasnim reported that Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi will lead the Iranian delegation, while the European countries are expected to send their deputy foreign ministers.
The three European countries, known as the E3, were signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which allows any participant to trigger the snapback mechanism to almost automatically reimpose UN Security Council sanctions on Iran. The E3 have threatened to do so by the end of August if no progress is made toward a new agreement. Timing the move for late August would also ensure the process concludes before Russia assumes the Security Council’s rotating presidency in October.
The E3 have, however, offered to extend their deadline if Iran restarts nuclear talks with the United States and begins cooperating with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which Iran halted cooperation with during its 12-day war with Israel last June.
