TEHRAN: Iran is set to hold nuclear discussions with France, Britain, and Germany on January 13 in Geneva, Switzerland, according to reports from local media citing a foreign ministry official.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, confirmed the meeting, emphasizing that the talks would be “consultations, not negotiations.” These discussions come after the three European countries accused Iran on December 17 of significantly increasing its stockpile of high-enriched uranium without a credible civilian justification. They also suggested the possibility of reintroducing sanctions to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, expressed his country’s willingness for “fair and honorable negotiations” with the West, proposing that lifting sanctions would help build greater confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear intentions. He also stated that if the West rejects this approach, Iran would continue to pursue its own path, as it has in recent years.
In recent years, Iran has increased its production of enriched uranium, becoming the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60%, a level close to the 90% required for nuclear weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran had previously held discussions in November 2024 with the three European countries about its nuclear program. These talks followed tensions arising from a European-backed resolution criticizing Iran for its lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has repeatedly denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa (religious decree) prohibiting the development of atomic weapons.
