WASHINGTON: The United States and three European powers—France, Germany, and the UK—have set the end of August as the unofficial deadline for finalizing a nuclear agreement with Iran, according to a report by Axios citing three sources. During a joint call, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the European foreign ministers agreed that if no deal is reached by then, they will initiate the "snapback" mechanism, which would reinstate all UN Security Council sanctions lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The urgency comes amid US President Donald Trump’s remarks that Tehran is seeking negotiations but he is in "no rush" to talk, citing recent US airstrikes that targeted Iranian nuclear sites. Trump emphasized that the US had severely damaged Iran’s capabilities and thus holds leverage.
Iran, however, has firmly rejected any talks conditioned on halting uranium enrichment, which it claims is a right under international law. Senior adviser Ali Velayati reiterated that negotiations would not proceed under such preconditions.
Earlier Omani-brokered talks between Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff collapsed after Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iranian facilities, which also drew limited US military involvement. Despite the recent tension, both nations have signaled openness to resume dialogue.
