Interview with IranView 24, August 25, 2025 -
The interview was in Persian and the translation below was done by Ai.
Dr. Sasan Karimi, an international affairs expert, in an interview with IranView24, regarding whether, considering the telephone conversation on Friday (August 11) between the foreign ministers of Iran, the European Troika and the representative of the European Union and the meeting of their deputy foreign ministers in Vienna, it could be a step forward in the challenging relations between Iran and Europe; he replied: In my opinion, this meeting does not necessarily mean a step forward. Both Iran and Europe are in a difficult situation. Even on the issue of the JCPOA dispute resolution mechanism, which is the trigger or Snapback mechanism, both sides are in a sensitive situation. Iran does not see a need to implement this mechanism, and the Europeans also know that this is their last diplomatic tool regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, and if they use it, they will practically lose their role.
He continued: Hence, the duality of both Iran and Europe has been formed and they want to get out of this crisis. But they do not want to lose their current assets. The Europeans are looking to formulate new perspectives, but Iran is not willing to extend or implement new mechanisms, because firstly, it does not accept the legal jurisdiction of Europe in this area, and secondly, it believes that Europe cannot make decisions without the opinion of the United States.
Karimi added: Iran knows very well that the Europeans do not have the ability to make effective concessions in the area of lifting sanctions, because the main sanctions were imposed by the United States and Europe does not have the legal tools to lift them. The Europeans are in a state of isolation and weakness; whether in the issue of Iran, Ukraine, or Gaza. They are generally in a passive position and cannot introduce themselves as an independent and powerful actor.
Referring to whether there is no will on the part of the Europeans to resolve nuclear issues through negotiations, the expert said: The will may be there, but the ability is not. Europe has only one card in its hand, and that is to remain within the framework of the JCPOA and use the dispute resolution mechanism. With this tool, they want to re-enter the equations that the United States has withdrawn from since the Trump era. However, they do not have enough power and initiative to advance a sustainable solution. Ultimately, they may be able to take action on specific issues such as the trigger mechanism, but they will still not get anywhere without the green light of the United States.
Karimi, referring to the European Troika’s intention to activate the trigger mechanism, replied: The Europeans neither want to lose this tool completely nor do they want to activate it completely. Their effort is to have this tool in their possession so that they can use it at the right time. That is why the discussion of extension or postponement is being raised in the current meetings. Of course, the Islamic Republic of Iran is opposed to a conditional extension, which complicates the matter even more.
Regarding the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and the European Troika in Geneva and whether it will help postpone the trigger mechanism, he said: Yes, there is such a possibility. Iran’s consent is not required to extend the expiration date of Resolution 2231, because Iran is not a member of the Security Council. This decision will be made by a vote of the permanent and non-permanent members of the Council. However, the Europeans prefer to find a creative solution that will both attract Iran’s opinion to some extent and protect their own interests.
In response to this question, Karimi said that one of the issues to be discussed at the Geneva meeting is the issue of lifting sanctions; he replied: Europe has no discretion in lifting sanctions. The sanctions are mainly American, and the US government has not shown any signs of readiness to lift nuclear sanctions so far. Therefore, Europe can only play a facilitating role, but it does not have the necessary executive power to lift sanctions.
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