The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are planning to hold new negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program in the coming days, a diplomatic source in Berlin reported, according to AFP.

The three countries, known as the E3, are in contact with Tehran to determine a date for talks scheduled for next week. They warned that if Iran does not return to the negotiating table, international sanctions could be reinstated through activation of the “snapback” mechanism from the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The Iranian news agency Tasnim also reported that Tehran has agreed to a new round of talks with the three European countries, citing an anonymous source. Consultations are currently underway to determine the time and place of the meeting.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation with his counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany, as well as with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas. During the call, the Europeans warned that if Tehran does not return to talks soon, the mechanism for reimposing sanctions lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would be triggered.

Iran and the United States had previously held several rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations, mediated by Oman, before Israel launched its 12-day military operation against Iran on June 13. The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to join strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities effectively brought the diplomatic process to a halt.

“Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why Germany, France, and the United Kingdom continue to work intensively in the E3 format to achieve a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program,” the German source stated.

Iran, for its part, denies developing nuclear weapons.

The 2015 agreement, known as the JCPOA, imposed strict limitations on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions. The deal began to unravel in 2018, when the United States withdrew from it during Trump’s first term and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.

“If no solution is reached by the summer, the E3 will retain activation of the snapback mechanism as an option,” the German diplomatic source added. |BGNES