(MENAFN) Foreign ministers from France, the UK, Germany, and the EU held a unified call on Friday with Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, to convey mounting concerns about Tehran’s nuclear activities and signal the potential reimposition of sanctions.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed the high-level call involved UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

“We just made an important call to our Iranian counterpart regarding the nuclear program and the sanctions against Iran, which we are preparing to reimpose,” Barrot said on the US social media platform X. “Time is running out. A new meeting will take place next week on this subject.”

German Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasized Iran’s urgent need to seriously engage in diplomatic negotiations, cautioning that failure to do so could trigger further sanctions.

“We remain committed to diplomacy, but time is very short, and Iran needs to engage substantively in order to avoid the activation of snapback,” he stated, referring to the UN mechanism that would restore sanctions. “We have been clear that we will not let the snapback of sanctions expire unless there is a verifiable and durable deal.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas underscored the critical nature of the upcoming negotiations and reiterated readiness to activate the snapback sanctions if Iran does not comply.

“Europe is committed to a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue. With the deadline for the snapback mechanism fast approaching, Iran’s readiness to engage with the US is crucial. Iran must also fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Kallas warned.

The call marks a decisive step by Western powers to pressure Iran amid escalating tensions surrounding its nuclear ambitions.

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