Iran has announced its readiness to engage in fresh talks with Western countries to address concerns surrounding its controversial nuclear program. Scheduled for January 13 and 14, discussions with the UK, Germany, and France will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
“These talks will be held next week, I think on January 13 and 14, in Geneva. This is the continuation of the talks we had in December with the three European countries and the EU foreign policy representative. A wide range of topics will be discussed, including regional issues, bilateral ties with the EU and the nuclear issue,” said Esmail Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman during a regular media briefing.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed alarm on Monday, warning that Tehran’s uranium enrichment program is “nearing a point of no return.” Macron urged European partners to consider reimposing sanctions on Iran if no progress is achieved in the upcoming talks. In response, Iran’s foreign ministry criticized France’s stance as “unconstructive” and called on Paris to reconsider its approach.
“Untrue claims by a government that has itself refused to fulfil its obligations under the nuclear deal and has played a major role in Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons is deceitful and projective,” Esmail Baghaei stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Geneva meeting will occur against the backdrop of lingering tensions following the United States’ 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal under former President Donald Trump. The withdrawal, coupled with the reimposition of sanctions under Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, inflicted significant economic harm on Iran, including a sharp depreciation of the Iranian Rial.
