Iranian, European ministers to hold nuclear talks Tuesday: French diplomat

Iranian and European ministers will hold nuclear talks in New York on Tuesday, a French diplomatic source said, after the UN Security Council voted to reimpose sanctions over Tehran's atomic program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has until the end of Saturday to reach a deal with his British, French, German and EU counterparts to avoid the reinstatement of UN sanctions, which had been suspended under a deal signed in 2015.

The meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations' signature high-level week, is scheduled for 10:00 am local time (1400 GMT), a diplomatic source told AFP news agency.

Iran and the Europeans blame each other for the failure of diplomatic efforts to reach a new agreement on Tehran's nuclear program, long a rancorous sticking point between the two sides.

European countries and the United States suspect the Iranian government of seeking to acquire the atomic bomb. Tehran has vigorously denied that, insisting it has a right to civilian nuclear energy.

The European side has set three conditions to extend the sanction relief period to allow more time for negotiations on a comprehensive treaty.

They include the resumption of direct negotiations without preconditions, full access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Iranian nuclear sites, and accurate information on the location of enriched materials.

The European side believes that none of the conditions have been met.

Tehran accuses the European powers of exerting political pressure that undermines negotiations and claims to have produced a "balanced" proposal, the details of which have not been disclosed.

IAEA says Iran nuclear diplomacy at a 'difficult juncture'

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told AFP Monday that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program were at a "difficult juncture" but dialogue would continue.

"It's obviously quite a difficult juncture. It's a very difficult situation we are facing right now," the International Atomic Energy Agency chief said, adding that talks between involved parties were planned in New York for Monday.

"What's important is the communications are continuing. We are planning to see each other, if possible today, Monday, here in New York, and perhaps more meetings during the week."

"Emmanuel Macron is very present, has been historically, and I respect him enormously," Grossi said.

"I think the Special Envoy, Ambassador (Steve) Witkoff, has also been involved and actively exploring different channels and presenting a number of ideas," Grossi said.

Grossi said his dialog with Witkoff had enabled him to understand Washington's position and red lines.

"And the IAEA is not a party to the agreement -- but it's indispensable in every scenario. So we continue the work with Ambassador Witkoff," Grossi said.

Earlier this month, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement in Cairo that would have allowed inspections of Iranian nuclear sites to resume.

Iran had suspended them after Israel and the United States attacked its nuclear facilities in June.

Western governments have long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran denies.

Tehran has also criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn the Israeli and US strikes.

"We are not at a point where people are not talking to each other, and you have to convince them to come together," Grossi said.

"So does that mean that I am optimistic? Well, neither optimistic nor pessimistic," he said adding that he remained hopeful that "we can still have an agreement."

"If we don't have it, I think we have to try to (right) the boat as soon as possible to avoid prolonged confrontation and perhaps more attacks."

Grossi also said he would seek to succeed Antonio Guterres as Secretary-General of the UN when his term ends in December 2026.