Agreement to Continue Dialogue; Outcome of Meeting with the Islamic Republic Delegation in Geneva

Hours after the meeting of diplomats from three European countries - Britain, Germany, and France - along with the senior coordinator of the European Union with the Islamic Republic's diplomatic delegation in Geneva, both sides announced 'an agreement to continue dialogue' through posts on the social media platform X. Kazem Gharibabadi, an official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, criticized Europe as 'self-centered' and 'irresponsible' in a post on X, which is filtered in Iran. Gharibabadi wrote: 'Regarding Iran's nuclear issue, Europe has failed to be a serious player due to a lack of confidence and responsibility.' Mura also reacted to this meeting by stating that he had a 'frank discussion' with Gharibabadi and another Iranian diplomat. The Deputy High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs wrote on X that these discussions included 'stopping military support [of the Iranian government] to Russia, resolving the nuclear issue, regional tensions, and human rights.' Gharibabadi, the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also stated that the latest bilateral, regional, and international developments, especially nuclear issues and sanctions relief, were discussed and evaluated in this meeting. Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, described the Geneva meeting as a 'brainstorming session' and noted that allegations of Iran's involvement in the Ukraine war, the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities, new sanctions, and European threats to activate the trigger mechanism, alongside regional issues, heavily burden the relations between the two sides. According to Araqchi, these issues have made reaching a common language very difficult. The topics mentioned by Araqchi and the emphases of Enrique Mura were also met with a reaction from Gharibabadi, who stated: 'The European Union must stop its self-centered and irresponsible behavior regarding the issues and challenges of this continent and international matters.' This Iranian diplomat asserted that Europe should not project its own problems and mistakes, including those related to the Ukraine conflict, onto others. Gharibabadi also claimed genocide in Gaza and Europe's complicity in this act, stating that Europe 'has no moral standing to advise others on human rights.' Meanwhile, Nicolas Lerner, head of France's foreign intelligence service, stated on Friday that the escalation of Iran's nuclear activities would be 'the most significant threat' in the coming months. Richard Moore, head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), also regarded Iran's nuclear ambitions as a major security threat to the world. In the same context, Agence France-Presse reported on Friday that it had seen a version of a report indicating that the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the Islamic Republic intends to install about 6,000 new centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Senior diplomats from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the three countries of Britain, Germany, and France, along with the senior coordinator of the European Union, discussed the possibility of starting serious negotiations to reduce regional tensions and examine the Iranian government's nuclear program in a meeting on Friday, December 9, in Geneva, Switzerland. The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated on Monday, December 5, at a press conference that the Biden administration is not participating, even indirectly, in negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the three remaining European countries in the JCPOA. The U.S. expressed 'serious concern' over the escalation of nuclear tensions by the Iranian government. Britain stated that Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a 'global threat.'