Nuclear energy in Iran

The United States and Iran said on April 3 they will begin indirect negotiations with intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into compliance with an accord limiting Iran's nuclear program, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief announced on Feb. 21 a "temporary solution" to allow Iranian facility inspections to continue after days of talks with officials, giving some much needed breathing space for diplomatic negotiations.

Relations with the EU could be severed if Brussels imposes sanctions that are risky for sensitive spheres of the economy, Lavrov stated. "Our starting point is that we are ready for that step in case we notice, as we have seen on several occasions before, that sanctions are being prepared that would create a risk for our economy," he pointed out.

U.S. President Joe Biden has made clear he will not unilaterally lift sanctions against Iran, saying it must first adhere to its nuclear deal commitments despite demands on Feb. 7 from the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 29 that he hopes the Biden administration would return to the nuclear deal and lift sanctions on Iran.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Istanbul, Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has always supported the nuclear deal that was reached by the U.S., EU and Iran.

European powers on Jan. 16 voiced deep concern over Iran's plans to produce uranium metal, warning that Tehran has "no credible civilian use" for the element.

"The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications," said the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement.

Germany, France and Great Britain fought fiercely for the nuclear treaty with Iran, which was signed five years ago. Since the end of 2018, since Trump left the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, its stability has been in question, reports Deutsche Welle.

Iran plans to enrich uranium up to 20% at its underground Fordo nuclear facility, international inspectors said on Jan. 2, pushing its program a technical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over its tattered atomic deal.

The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on Thursday.

Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, has called on EU leaders to put sanctions against Turkey on the table at the next summit.