Geneva Talks in Shadow of Snapback Threat, Iran in Diplomatic and Sanctions Quandary
Geneva talks indicate an escalating shadow of snapback mechanism threat that places Iran in a diplomatic and sanctions quandary.
According to reports released from sources close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, fresh nuclear talks between Iran and three European countries including Britain, France, and Germany will be held in Geneva on Tuesday, August 26, corresponding to September 4 in the Persian calendar. Based on this report, the Iranian delegation will be headed by “Majid Takht-Ravanchi,” and from the other side, deputy foreign ministers of these three countries will also attend tomorrow’s session.
An informed source in a conversation with this news agency announced that the main focus of talks will be “nuclear issues and the matter of lifting sanctions.” This meeting is a continuation of consultations that took place last week via telephone between Iran’s foreign minister, the three European countries’ foreign ministers, and “Josep Borrell,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief, but yielded no clear results.
The three European countries, which are principal signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA), have repeatedly warned that if Iran does not present an acceptable solution to nuclear concerns by September 9 (August 31), they will use the mechanism known as “snapback” or the “trigger mechanism”; a mechanism that allows them to reinstate United Nations international sanctions against Iran.
In recent days, speculation about activating this mechanism and Tehran’s potential response has increased. Experts believe the limited timeframe set by Europe has significantly narrowed the space for reaching agreement and reduced the possibility of achieving a middle-ground solution. Particularly since the legal authority of the three countries to use this tool will only be valid until October; a factor that has caused the European troika to use this option as a pressure lever before the deadline expires.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Iran and its regional allies are examining legal ways to counter this potential action. However, analysts believe that entering the case into the snapback mechanism path would effectively mean the return of heavy United Nations sanctions and intensified economic and political pressures on the Islamic Republic; pressures whose consequences will be felt not only in the diplomatic realm but also in people’s daily lives.
The Geneva meeting takes place under circumstances where Tehran-Europe relations are at one of their most sensitive junctures, a juncture whose outcome could determine the future path of Iran’s nuclear case and this country’s relations with the international community.
