By Web Desk: In a bid to address ongoing concerns over its nuclear program, Iran is set to engage in discussions with France, Britain, and Germany on January 13 in Geneva, Switzerland. The announcement was made by Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, as reported by local media.
“These talks are consultations, not formal negotiations,” Gharibabadi clarified, according to the ISNA news agency.
The meeting comes after the three European nations accused Iran on December 17 of significantly increasing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, reaching “unprecedented levels” without “any credible civilian justification.” They also hinted at the possibility of reimposing sanctions to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.
Abbas Araghchi, a senior Iranian diplomat, expressed his country’s willingness to engage in “fair and honorable negotiations” with the West. “In return for the lifting of sanctions, we are ready to create more trust in the peaceful nature of our nuclear program,” Araghchi stated in remarks published by the Tasnim news agency.
However, Araghchi also signaled that Iran would not hesitate to chart its own course if diplomacy failed. “If the other party does not agree to this path, we will continue to pursue our own policies, as we have in recent years,” he added.
Iran has drawn global attention by producing uranium enriched to 60%, a level far beyond what is required for civilian purposes and edging closer to the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade material. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has noted this achievement, which makes Iran the only non-nuclear-armed state with such capabilities.
Last November, Iran held talks with the same three European countries following tensions over a European-backed resolution criticizing Iran’s cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.
Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are strictly for peaceful purposes and has consistently denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has upheld a religious decree, or fatwa, prohibiting the production and use of atomic weapons.
This upcoming meeting in Geneva will be closely watched, as it represents another chapter in the complex and contentious dialogue surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its place in global diplomacy.
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