European Union's Council of Ministers passes a resolution concerning the current state in the Middle East region.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, proposed talks to the UN Security Council on September 17, 2021, aiming to prevent the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran. The proposal, according to Araghchi, considers 'legitimate concerns' and is 'beneficial to both sides.'
This move follows Iran's response to the Security Council vote, where Iran gradually withdrew from its commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement and increased uranium enrichment, producing a significantly larger amount of enriched uranium than agreed upon.
The nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by the E3 (France, Germany, and the UK), the USA, Russia, and China, with the aim of preventing Iran from developing an atomic bomb. However, the USA withdrew unilaterally from the agreement during the first term of US President Donald Trump in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.
Since then, the E3 countries have been negotiating with Iran to limit its nuclear program, but no progress has been reported. French President Emmanuel Macron expects the sanctions to be reinstated, while the UK's Ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, called on Iran to act now after the Security Council vote.
France's UN Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont emphasized that the Europeans' offer to find a solution by the deadline of 28 September remains on the table. However, if an agreement is not reached, sanctions will be reinstated during the UN General Assembly's general debate at the end of September.
The stakes are high as the re-imposition of UN sanctions could further escalate tensions in the region and potentially derail ongoing efforts to revive the JCPOA. Both sides are under pressure to find a compromise and avoid a return to the pre-2015 sanctions regime. The situation remains fluid, and developments are expected in the coming weeks.
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