Iran, E3 fail to agree on sanctions issue — media

Iran and the so-called E3 - the UK, Germany, and France - failed to reach an agreement in Geneva aimed at averting the reinstatement of sanctions against Tehran, the Associated Press noted, citing a diplomat familiar with the negotiations, Report informs.

According to the source, the talks in Switzerland "ended without a final outcome." The sides failed to reach common ground on how to prevent the reimposition of sanctions against Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

At the meeting of deputy foreign ministers, the E3 reiterated their demand that Iran restore access for IAEA inspectors to its nuclear facilities and return to diplomatic negotiations on a new nuclear deal.

Failing this, Tehran faces the risk of sanctions being reimposed. After the consultations, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stressed that Iran remains committed to diplomacy and to finding mutually beneficial solutions to the disputes. He added that the time has come for the E3 and the UN Security Council "to make the right choice" and open the way for renewed diplomatic efforts.

The United States and the E3 countries previously set the end of August as the deadline for concluding a nuclear deal with Iran. If no agreement is reached, the E3 plans to trigger the snapback mechanism, which would re-impose UN Security Council sanctions previously lifted under the 2015 JCPOA.