“The next round of Iran-Europe talks at the level of deputy foreign ministers will be held in Istanbul on Friday, May 16,” Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Wednesday, as cited by the state IRNA news agency.
The talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Istanbul come as Tehran and Washington are expected to hold a fifth round of nuclear talks in the coming days.
Britain, France, and Germany were part of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers that Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.
“Unfortunately, it is the Europeans themselves who have become somewhat isolated in these talks with their own policies. We do not want such a situation and have continued our talks,” Araghchi said.
Trump on Wednesday expressed hope that the nuclear talks with Iran will bear fruit.
"It's been really an interesting situation. I have a feeling it's going to work out,” Trump said during his Middle East tour, after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the meeting will focus on consultations and discussions on the indirect Tehran-Washington talks.
On Sunday, Araghchi condemned the European powers for using the “snapback” mechanism, “initially intended as a last resort,” as “diplomatic leverage.”
“Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences—not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible,” he said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in late April that the E3 "will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions" scrapped a decade ago if European security is threatened by Iran's nuclear activities.
In December, Iran warned European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal that the possible activation of the agreement's “snapback” provisions - triggering the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions - would compel Tehran to exit the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The “snapback” mechanism is set to expire in October.
Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions.
But the deal began unraveling in 2018 when Trump, during his first term, unilaterally withdrew the US and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran, which in turn began rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Tehran, however, has repeatedly asserted that atomic weapons go against the Islamic republic’s doctrine and has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.