Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for International Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Iranian diplomats and representatives from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany held “technical and expert-level discussions” on the nuclear file in Geneva on Thursday, March 27.
On Friday, March 28, Gharibabadi wrote on his X account that these discussions took place within the framework of the “understanding reached during the fourth round of negotiations” between Iranian diplomatic officials and the three European countries.
Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also confirmed the negotiations, stating that this new round of talks aimed to “discuss and exchange views on various aspects of the issue in both the sanctions relief and nuclear domains.”
A month ago, Gharibabadi had also reported holding talks with senior political officials from the three European countries regarding the nuclear issue.
On February 26, Gharibabadi wrote on X that, on the sidelines of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Geneva to attend the High-Level Conference on Disarmament and the Human Rights Council, a new round of “constructive talks” had been held with senior political officials from the three European countries.
He stated, “We exchanged views on nuclear issues and sanctions relief.”
This Foreign Ministry official did not name the European countries involved in the talks with Tehran. However, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France issued a statement regarding their political directors’ meeting with Iranian representatives in Geneva, stating that they “reaffirmed their firm and principled positions and their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution” and agreed that the discussions should continue.
Earlier, on November 25, 2024, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, had confirmed negotiations with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on “bilateral, regional, and international issues, as well as the nuclear issue.”
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned the international community on February 15, 2025, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, that time was running out to contain Iran’s nuclear program and that the global community needed to reach an agreement with Tehran before it was too late.
The Iranian government has so far denied any attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. However, in recent months, some Iranian officials have called for a shift in Tehran’s nuclear doctrine toward “developing nuclear weapons for deterrence purposes.”
According to IAEA estimates, Tehran currently possesses enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb.
Although uranium enriched to 60% purity cannot serve as fissile material for a weapon, the Iranian government could elevate it to weapons-grade levels within two to three weeks.
This situation is often referred to as a “nuclear threshold state,” indicating that if Tehran possesses the necessary expertise to construct a functional bomb, it could quickly become a nuclear power.
Before the new Donald Trump administration took office, the U.S. State Department had announced that the United States would not participate in the negotiations between Iran and the three European powers in Geneva regarding nuclear and regional issues.
