Germany Warns Iran To Meet Demands Or Face Return Of Sanctions

Germany said Wednesday that “the ball is still in Iran’s court” after top diplomats from the UK, France, and Germany held discussions with Tehran over its nuclear activities.

The phone call followed a move last month by the three European powers to trigger a 30-day deadline for “snapback” sanctions to be reinstated if no agreement is reached on curbing Iran’s nuclear program.

According to a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson who spoke with the Times of Israel, the E3 nations’ proposal “to discuss a temporary [delay] of the snapback if Iran fulfils certain conditions remains on the table,” but he stressed that “at this point the steps taken by Iran have not been sufficient.”

Meanwhile, Tehran rejected American criticism of its missile efforts, calling the remarks baseless after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Iran’s program “an unacceptable risk.”

“He was speaking nonsense,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters, adding that the United States “is not supposed to comment on the defensive capabilities of a nation that has decided to preserve its independence at any cost.”