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Iranian officials arrived in Türkiye on Friday for nuclear talks with representatives from Britain, France, and Germany, as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled that a nuclear agreement with Tehran might be within reach.
Deputy Foreign Ministers Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi are representing Iran at the high-level meeting with their European counterparts, according to information obtained by Anadolu Agency. The Iranian officials have arrived at their country's consulate in Istanbul, where the talks are set to take place, focusing on Tehran's nuclear program.
This meeting comes after previously scheduled talks in Rome on May 2 were canceled following the postponement of U.S.-Iran negotiations. The European nations, collectively known as the E3, were parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement along with China, Russia, and the United States.
Iran has expressed concern about the potential activation of the "snapback mechanism" by European countries, which would reinstate United Nations sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. This mechanism expires on Oct. 18, and analysts suggest European nations might trigger it before this deadline if no solution regarding Iran's nuclear program is reached.
In an article published in the French newspaper Le Point on May 11, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that misuse of the snapback mechanism would have consequences. "This would not only mean the end of Europe's role in the agreement but could also lead to an escalation of tensions that might become irreversible," he wrote, while also calling on European countries to engage in nuclear talks with Iran.
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The Istanbul talks represent another significant diplomatic effort taking place in the Turkish city, which has become a hub for international negotiations. Deputy foreign ministers from Iran and the E3—the European parties to the nuclear deal (U.K., France, Germany)—are gathering on Friday as diplomatic activity intensifies around Iran's nuclear program.
These negotiations at the deputy minister level indicate the seriousness with which both sides are approaching the discussions, particularly as the October deadline for the snapback mechanism approaches. The meeting's location at Iran's consulate in Istanbul provides a neutral yet diplomatic setting for these sensitive discussions.
Iranian senior diplomat Kazem Gharibabadi said Friday that the latest status of the Iran-US negotiations was discussed during talks with European powers in Istanbul.
"We exchanged views and discussed the latest state of the indirect nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions," said deputy foreign minister Gharibabadi in a post on X, adding that "if necessary, we will meet again to continue the talks."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that his country is going through a critical period in terms of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. "Trump hopes Iran will consider the offer because this offer won't be on the table forever," Rubio told Fox News during his visit to Antalya for the NATO Foreign Ministers' Informal Meeting.
Rubio emphasized that Trump has frequently stated Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and that by initiating nuclear negotiations, the president has presented Iran with an opportunity. "Ultimately, the decision rests with one person, and that's Iran's supreme leader. We hope he chooses the path of peace and prosperity rather than a destructive one," Rubio said.
Trump himself, speaking during a visit to Qatar on Thursday, said the United States was "getting close" to a deal with Iran that would avert military action. "We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran," he declared.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that his country is going through a critical period in terms of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran.
“So we are at a – this is a critical moment. The President Trump has made it a priority,” Rubio said in an interview with Sean Hannity of American news channel Fox News on Thursday.
“We have to roll that back one way or another, and we hope it’s peacefully and through the process of negotiation,” Rubio told Fox News.
“What the President did is extend an opportunity. And that’s the opportunity before them, and he hopes that they’ll take this opportunity and that they’ll take this offer. He says this offer won’t be around forever,” Rubio said.
“A regime like that can never have nuclear weapons, and the President has made clear they will not have a nuclear weapon,” he noted.
Rubio expressed hope that the issue would be resolved through the path of negotiation and diplomacy.
“But in the end the decision lies in the hands of one person, and that’s the supreme leader in Iran,” Rubio said.
Rubio voiced his hope that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would choose “the path of peace and prosperity, not a destructive path.”
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