Amwaj:

The story: Relations between Iran and the E3—Britain, France and Germany—remain difficult, with the troika excluded from the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US. As the E3 considers reimposing UN Security Council sanctions on Tehran, French officials allege that the Islamic Republic is nearing nuclear weapons capability. Meanwhile, UK authorities have arrested several Iranian nationals in a reported counterterrorism operation. This comes as a scheduled Iran-E3 meeting in Rome last week was cancelled following the postponement of Iran-US talks. However, there are still signs of a mutual willingness to engage—albeit perhaps not at the level needed to avert a potential confrontation.

The coverage: Iranian and E3 deputy foreign ministers were slated to engage in Rome on May 2, but the talks were put on hold after indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington on May 3 in the Italian capital were postponed.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who has been mediating negotiations between Iran and the US, on May 1 stated that the nuclear talks would be rescheduled due to “logistical reasons.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei confirmed that the rescheduling of the indirect talks with the US meant that the Iran-E3 meeting would be held “at a later date.”

With no new date set for the Iran-E3 meeting, subsequent developments threaten to further deteriorate relations between Tehran and European capitals.

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