News from Berlin - On Sunday 15th June, German officials headed by Hans-Dieter Lucas, will travel to Tehran for talks on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme. The meeting will follow similar bilateral talks with members of the permanent UN Security Council (P5).

Iranian and American officials are currently meeting at two day talks in Geneva, and on the 11th June, they will also meet with the French delegate. After this, there will also be discussions between Iranians and Russians in Rome.

The talks come before a meeting in Vienna next Monday, where representatives from all 5 of the Security Council, plus the German delegate, will meet Iranian officials.

The wave of bilateral talks hopes to strengthen relationships between Tehran and P5 members, in an attempt to negotiate Iran’s atomic programme. Whilst Iran has always asserted its nuclear activities to be entirely peaceful for medical research, Western officials suspect it masks their real military objectives in trying to build nuclear weapons.

Germany, who have a long-standing historical relationship with Iran, have on several occasions openly criticised their nuclear programme. For example Angela Merkel, speaking in 2006, argued that the world must stop Iran’s nuclear proliferation, and denounced Iran for ignoring its international obligations as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty.

The meeting in Vienna comes a month before the July 20th deadline for a final settlement on Iran’s nuclear programme following a six month provisional agreement that came into action from November 2013. If successful, the talks will essentially curb Iran’s nuclear advancement in return for lifting US/EU imposed economic sanctions.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global