TEHRAN: Iran will hold crucial talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Friday to discuss its nuclear program.

The vital meeting comes after the three European countries, along with the United States, decided to have Tehran censured by the UN nuclear watchdog.

Last week’s reprimands drew a provocative response from Tehran, but its officials have since indicated a willingness to engage with other parties ahead of the return of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose last administration pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic.

Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who is Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s political deputy, is expected to represent Iran at Friday’s talks.

He will first meet Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general for foreign affairs of the EU, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Last week, the 35-nation Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear issues.

The resolution was introduced by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and Tehran actively opposed it.

In response, Iran announced the launch of “new advanced centrifuges” designed to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Tehran’s willingness to sit down with the three European countries so soon after the censure comes just weeks before Trump returns to the White House in January.

During his first term, Trump focused on imposing heavy sanctions on Iran following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal three years after it was concluded.

This agreement between Tehran and the major powers aimed to relieve Iran of crippling Western sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

In retaliation for the US withdrawal, Tehran reduced its compliance with the deal, increasing its uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent, nearly the 90 percent required for a nuclear bomb.

Tehran has always denied any intention of acquiring nuclear weapons.

For Tehran, the goal of Friday’s negotiations is to avoid a “double catastrophe” scenario, in which the country would face new pressure from Trump and European countries, according to political analyst Mostafa Shirmohammadi.

He noted that Iran’s support among European nations had been eroded by allegations that it offered military assistance to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Iran has denied the accusations and hopes to restore relations with Europe, while maintaining a tough stance.

“Legal obligations”

The IAEA censure resolution urged Iran to “fulfill its legal obligations” under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ratified in 1970, which requires member states to declare and maintain their nuclear materials under the IAEA supervision.

In response, Foreign Minister Araghchi, who was instrumental in nuclear negotiations in 2015, said Iran was putting “several thousand advanced centrifuges” into operation.

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, said on Wednesday that they had started introducing gas into the centrifuges.

Centrifuges work by rapidly spinning uranium gas to increase the proportion of the fissile isotope U-235.

Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but according to the IAEA, it is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60 percent.

Under the terms of the 2015 deal – which expires in October 2025 – Iran’s enrichment was capped at 3.67%.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds final decision-making authority in Iran, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, banning the use of atomic weapons.

Iran’s nuclear program dates back to the late 1950s, when the United States, then an ally, signed a civil cooperation agreement with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.