Description: Iran’s Foreign Ministry has warned the European countries directly involved in the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) agreement that a preemptive reimposition of the sanctions would have irreversible consequences on the ongoing negotiations. The announcement comes after the US and Iran concluded a fourth round of nuclear negotiations in Oman after which both sides practically stated that some considerable obstacles have been surpassed but no concrete proposals were yet discussed. The E3 is comprised of Germany, France and the UK, joint signatories of the JCPOA, with the three countries having enlarged jurisdictions to sanction Iranian entities if suspected of facilitating Iran’s disputed nuclear program. The final deadline for reaching a new agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program is 18 Oct, after which the E3 has the option to impose the snapback sanctions if no concrete agreement is conceptualized.
Impact: After four cycles of negotiation, the US and Iran haven’t made substantial progress around reaching a diplomatic resolution which would guarantee that Iran won’t develop a nuclear weapon, and the US would cut sanctions towards the regime. The E3 represent key cosignatories of the JCPOA and have independent jurisdictions to impose sanctions on Iran, something that Germany, UK and France stated they were coordinating with the US led negotiating efforts. The warning gives credibility to Europe as a factor in the process and enables E3 a small margin of opportunity to position itself as a relevant actor in the ongoing negotiations. Neither the US nor Iran were reported to have shown any form of transactional compromise which puts the negotiations in a proverbial deadlock, something that could largely be beneficial for Europe if they indirectly influence the outcome of the nuclear talks.