Overview

• Deputy foreign ministers from Iran, the UK, France and Germany convened in Istanbul on July 25 for the first substantive nuclear talks since June’s military strikes on Iranian sites.
• European negotiators warned they would reimpose U.N. sanctions at the end of August if no new agreement is reached, while considering a six-month extension of that deadline.
• Iran was represented by Deputy Foreign Ministers Gharibabadi and Rabanchi, who described the sessions as serious and candid and agreed to continue the dialogue.
• Participants exchanged views on the impact of Israeli and U.S. attacks in June and explored how to prepare for potential broader engagement with Washington.
• In early July, Iran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA, underscoring its hardline posture and conditioning any U.S. talks on formal recognition of its nuclear rights.