Washington (TDI): The United States and key European allies have agreed to set the end of August as an informal deadline to finalize a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
If no breakthrough is reached by then, the European signatories, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, are expected to initiate the “snapback” process, which would automatically reinstate United Nations sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear accord, according to US media reports.
The decision reportedly emerged during a telephonic conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his European counterparts. The snapback mechanism, embedded in the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), enables participating countries to restore international sanctions if Iran is deemed non-compliant.
Speaking to reporters after returning to Washington from Pittsburgh, President Donald Trump downplayed the urgency of resuming negotiations with Tehran. “They would like to talk,” he said. “But I’m in no rush because we obliterated their sites.”
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Trump’s comments refer to the US military strikes last month, which reportedly targeted key components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Tehran, however, remains defiant, with officials making it clear that halting uranium enrichment is not up for discussion.
“If the negotiations must be conditioned on stopping enrichment, such negotiations will not take place,” said Ali Velayati, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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While both Washington and Tehran have indicated interest in returning to the table, deep mistrust remains. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff previously held five rounds of talks, mediated by Oman, but were unable to close the gap on key issues before hostilities flared last month.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
