Nuclear talks between Iran and European powers have resumed in Istanbul amid rising regional tensions.
European and Iranian diplomats have arrived in Istanbul in a renewed effort to resolve the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program. The talks mark the first formal engagement since June’s 12-day war between Iran and Israel, a conflict that included U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and heightened tensions across the region.
The discussions come as the UK, France, and Germany—collectively known as the E3—consider triggering a «snapback» mechanism that would reimpose UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear accord. In a bid to de-escalate, the E3 are floating a temporary extension of the sanctions deadline, contingent on Iranian commitments to diplomacy and international nuclear oversight.
Newsweek has reached out the State Department and Iran’s foreign ministry for comment.Why It Matters
The outcome of the Istanbul talks could determine whether the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has any future. The U.S. withdrew from the deal in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term. Since then, Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment, prompting alarm in some Western capitals and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The «snapback» of sanctions would isolate Iran further, risk collapse of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and possibly accelerate regional instability.
