Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is traveling to Vienna for urgent talks with officials from Britain, France and Germany, the so-called E3, as the United Nations prepares to reimpose sweeping sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear program, state-linked Nournews reports.
The visit comes just days before a 30-day deadline expires for the automatic return of UN measures that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which collapsed after years of stalled negotiations.
DAILY POST reported that the E3 triggered the “snapback” mechanism on August 28 following what they described as failed attempts to secure a new agreement with Iran.
The process sets in motion the reinstatement of all UN sanctions that existed before the accord, including:
A conventional arms embargo, Ballistic missile restrictions, Asset freezes and travel bans on key Iranian figures, A ban on the production of nuclear-related technology.
On Friday, the UN Security Council voted down a resolution aimed at blocking the move, effectively clearing the way for the punitive measures to take effect by the end of September.
Iran has condemned the snapback effort as an “illegal” escalation and signaled it may respond by accelerating its nuclear activities if the sanctions return.
Araghchi’s trip to Vienna is expected to focus on last-ditch diplomacy to prevent or at least soften the reimposition of the sanctions, which threaten to deepen Iran’s already fragile economy and further strain its ties with Western powers.
Iran’s Foreign Minister heads to Vienna as UN sanctions set to snap back