SAEDNEWS: In a new escalation of pressure on Tehran, Germany’s Foreign Minister reiterated the threat of triggering the JCPOA snapback mechanism, while emphasizing that Berlin is still pursuing diplomatic engagement to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue and avoid further military escalation between Iran, the United States, and Israel.
In an interview with European media, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul addressed recent developments in Iran-Europe talks.
Speaking to Gordon Repinski, host of the “Berlin Briefing” podcast produced by Politico, Wadephul was asked about Germany’s objective in engaging with Iran following the U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and whether short- or medium-term negotiations with Iran were viable. He responded: “Yes, we are currently holding discussions. Honestly, we are negotiating to see whether we can negotiate.”
When Repinski commented that this amounted to “talks about talks,” Wadephul confirmed: “Yes, that’s right. And it must be my goal to resolve this issue through diplomatic means and prevent a renewed cycle of military escalation — which we have already seen from both Israel and the United States.”
On June 12, in the midst of indirect Tehran-Washington negotiations, the Israeli regime launched unlawful military strikes against Iran’s sovereign territory. U.S. President Donald Trump later admitted full awareness and support of the attack. On July 2, Trump ordered another round of strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
Iran retaliated with military operations “True Promise 3” and “Glad Tidings of Victory,” which dealt firm responses to the aggression.
Despite significant damage to the sites, neither Iran nor the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported any increase in external radiation levels.
Tehran has called Israel’s war of aggression — and Washington’s participation — a “betrayal of diplomacy.” Iranian officials insist the nuclear issue has no military solution and reaffirm that Iran has never walked away from negotiations. However, Tehran stresses that any future diplomatic engagement must be contingent upon guarantees from Washington that such attacks will not be repeated, along with payment of war reparations.
Meanwhile, European parties to the JCPOA — who failed to fulfill their obligations under the deal following the U.S. withdrawal, especially the normalization of trade with Iran — are now invoking the snapback mechanism as a pressure tool to force Tehran back to the negotiating table on their terms.
Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have reportedly given Iran until the end of August to agree to a comprehensive deal addressing its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and regional activities.
The European threat to activate the JCPOA snapback mechanism — which would automatically reinstate all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran — has been met with strong criticism. Many legal experts argue that such a move lacks legitimacy and a solid legal basis. At the same time, technical and diplomatic initiatives are underway that could reshape Iran-Europe relations.
The snapback mechanism, outlined in Articles 36 and 37 of the JCPOA and Paragraphs 11, 12, and 13 of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), allows any of the original P5+1 members (U.S., UK, France, Germany, Russia, or China) to unilaterally trigger the reimposition of sanctions if they deem Iran to be in "significant non-performance." The process bypasses any Security Council vote.
In recent weeks, following the ceasefire in Israel’s imposed war on Iran, Iran and the E3 have held talks in Istanbul — with snapback activation being part of the discussions.
Iranian Missiles Allegedly Threatening Europe
Despite Iran’s repeated insistence on its right to peaceful nuclear technology and its clear rejection of nuclear weapons in its defense doctrine, Wadephul claimed: “One thing is clear: Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. We must make it unmistakably clear that Iran must refrain from activities and enrichment technologies that no longer have any plausible civilian justification. That’s a clear position.”
He added: “We also want to discuss Iran’s long-range missile program, which threatens not only Israel but also us in Europe. That’s part of the negotiations. I am concerned about the risk of not reaching an agreement, but I never want to hear that we failed to address everything. That’s why we’re in this intensive early negotiation stage. But Tehran must decide.”
Previously, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also stated: “We seek a more comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, and regional activities.”
While the E3 insists that Iran’s missile program be part of the current negotiations, Tehran has firmly stated that its defense capability is non-negotiable, as it is domestically developed and designed solely to defend national interests.
Wadephul again threatened to activate the snapback mechanism, saying: “If Tehran is not ready to do this, then the outcome is clear. We Europeans will be forced to reimpose sanctions on Iran. The decision lies with Tehran, but there’s a good path forward for the Iranian people.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with the Financial Times, said Iran would only negotiate with the United States if Washington agreed to pay war damages, guaranteed no further attacks, and acknowledged Iran’s right to enrich uranium. He emphasized that the nuclear issue has no military solution and reiterated Iran’s commitment to peace, but warned that Tehran would not bow to pressure, threats, or deceit.
Araghchi stated that the U.S. must compensate Iran for the destruction caused during last month’s war and that Tehran’s position had hardened. He outlined new preconditions for talks with the Trump administration.
He also criticized the positions of the UK, France, and Germany, saying that any move by them to reimpose sanctions would terminate all negotiations with Europe.
“At this moment,” Araghchi said, “there is no reason to talk to the Europeans — they can neither lift sanctions nor act independently. If they trigger snapback, it means they have run out of options.”
Berlin Aligns with Washington
Wadephul, in another part of the interview, was asked whether his close cooperation with U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio had led to any change in the transatlantic rift. He responded: “We have a lot of agreements on foreign and security policy. The NATO summit in The Hague was very successful. The United States is clearly committed to Europe’s defense, and we have committed to increasing defense spending. NATO is bigger and stronger than ever. That’s a major transatlantic success.”
On West Asia policy, he added: “We are almost aligned on Israel. We support a ceasefire but also want Hamas to be permanently disarmed and politically neutralized.”
Regarding Iran, Wadephul said: “We are also working very closely on this issue — including the current talks with Iran that I’ve discussed earlier.”
The German foreign minister also noted that Berlin is holding intensive discussions with Washington on how to end the war in Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia.
