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BERLIN, July 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Britain, France and Germany are planning to 
hold fresh talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in the coming days, a 
German diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday.

The European powers, known as the E3, "are in contact with Iran to schedule 
further talks for the coming week", the source said, following warnings from 
the trio that international sanctions against Iran could be reactivated if 
Tehran does not resume negotiations.

Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported that Tehran had agreed to hold talks 
with the three European countries, citing an unnamed source.

Consultations are ongoing regarding a date and location for the talks, the 
report said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a call Friday with his British, 
French and German counterparts and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja 
Kallas.

During the call, the Europeans warned that if Iran did not return to talks 
soon, they would activate a so-called "snapback" mechanism to reimpose 
sanctions lifted in a 2015 deal to curb Tehran's nuclear output.

Iran and the United States had held several rounds of nuclear negotiations 
through Omani mediators before Israel launched its 12-day war against Iran on 
June 13.

However, US President Donald Trump's decision to join Israel in striking 
Iranian nuclear facilities effectively ended the talks.

"Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why Germany, 
France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 
format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the 
Iranian nuclear programme," the German source said.

Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons.

The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, called the Joint Comprehensive 
Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed significant restrictions on Tehran's nuclear 
programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

But the hard-won deal began to unravel in 2018, during Trump's first 
presidency, when the United States walked away from it and reimposed 
sanctions on Iran.

"If no solution is reached over the summer, snapback remains an option for 
the E3," the German source said.