Iran consults with China, Russia ahead of crucial talks with E3 in Istanbul

Delegates from foreign ministries of Iran, China, and Russia met in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in Iran’s nuclear program particularly the threat by the three European powers -- Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- on return of UN sanctions in October.

The trilateral meeting in Tehran as well as a joint meeting between Iranian deputy foreign minister with senior Russian and Chinese diplomats in New York were held ahead of a decisive encounter in Istanbul on Friday between representatives of Tehran and the European troika plus EU on reactivation of UN nuclear sanctions.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the upcoming Istanbul meeting, the first since the June 24 ceasefire in the 12-day war on Iran by Israel and US, will convene at the level of deputy foreign ministers in which the EU foreign policy deputy chief will also take part.

The ministry in a statement said discussions in Tehran focused on the latest status of the nuclear negotiations and lifting of sanctions while the European troika has warned it would apply for fast return, or snapback, of sanctions in October if a nuclear deal is not reached with Iran by end of August.

The UN sanctions were terminated in 2015 by the Resolution 2231 endorsing the nuclear agreement (or JCPOA) reached the same year in Vienna between Iran on one side and the E3 plus China, Russian and US on the other.

In the meantime, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi who is in New York, held separate meetings on Tuesday with heads of UN missions of China and Russia as well as 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council about latest developments in Iran’s nuclear program, official IRNA news agency reported.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on his X account on Sunday, said he sent a letter to UN secretary general, chair-state of the Security Council, and EU foreign policy chief outlining why the E3 lacks legal, political, and moral standing to invoke the snapback mechanisms of the JCPOA and UN Resolution 2231.

He said: The E3 “cannot and should not be allowed to undermine the credibility of the UN Security Council by abusing a Resolution to which they themselves have not been committed”.

With less than forty days to the Aug. 31 deadline of the European powers, the tri-partite diplomatic consultations in Tehran and New York are significant because both China and Russia as signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are also permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Beijing and Moscow possess the power to veto any draft resolution against Iran in October, including one by E3 or US proposing renewed UN sanctions.

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