Wadephul calls on Iran to resume talks after snapback sanctions move

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Iran to resume negotiations on its nuclear programme immediately, after Germany, France and the United Kingdom triggered the so-called snapback mechanism for the reintroduction of UN sanctions on Tehran.

The three countries - known collectively as the E3 - remain open to diplomatic dialogue with Iran, Wadephul said during a visit to the Danish capital Copenhagen.

"We are firmly convinced that diplomacy does not end here. It can and should continue. However, Iran must act now," the foreign minister added.

The snapback mechanism stipulates that the UN Security Council must decide within 30 days on the continuation of the previous lifting of sanctions.

If the council decides to reactivate punitive measures on Iran that were lifted in the past decade, it would mark the definitive end of the 2015 international nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), which was intended to prevent Tehran from building an atomic bomb.

Wadephul said Iran knows that it needs to ensure full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency "and compliance with its international obligations, a clear commitment to negotiations, but also verifiable de-escalation in nuclear enrichment."

A diplomatic solution is feasible, Wadephul said, "but it now requires Iran's willingness and determination to engage in this process."

Wadephul said while he does not expect the snapback mechanism to have a significant effect on the German economy, the effects on the Iranian economy are already visible.

Tehran should now finally comply with international agreements, above all allowing on-site inspections of its nuclear programme, he stressed.