DUBAI, January 1, 2025 – Iran is set to engage in the next round of nuclear discussions with Britain, France, and Germany on January 13 in Geneva, as reported by the semi-official ISNA news agency, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
The upcoming talks follow a previous meeting held in November 2024, which was the first since the U.S. presidential election. Tensions escalated after a European-backed resolution criticized Iran for its inadequate cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
In response to the resolution, Tehran notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intention to install additional uranium-enriching centrifuges at its facilities. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi indicated last month that Iran is significantly increasing its uranium enrichment levels, now approaching 60% purity, which is closer to the weapons-grade threshold of approximately 90%.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes and denies any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. The situation has been complicated since the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018 under the Trump administration, which reinstated stringent sanctions on Iran. This led Tehran to exceed the nuclear limitations set by the original pact, including enhancing its stockpiles of enriched uranium and refining it to higher purities.
Efforts for indirect negotiations between the Biden administration and Tehran aimed at reviving the nuclear deal have not yielded results. Trump, during his campaign in September, emphasized the necessity of reaching an agreement to avoid severe consequences.