Iran nuclear

If these locations are as numerous as we fear, it will be impossible to entirely strip that country of its future nuclear capacity and its willingness to employ such weaponry.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said that "by raising unrealisable issues such as missile restrictions, they [US] set a path that negates any talks."

A letter from the Chinese, Russian, and Iranian foreign ministers called Britain, France, and Germany's move to restore sanctions via the "snapback mechanism" "legally and procedurally flawed."

The original plan, which would have cost billions of shekels and demanded a vast amount of intelligence collected to succeed, was continuously delayed and would not have have been ready in time.

The E3 offered to delay reinstating sanctions - known as snapback - for up to six months if Iran adresses concerns about its nuclear program.

Abbas Araghchi's statement came hours after three European powers triggered the process to reimpose UN snapback sanctions on Tehran.

This comes after Iranian leaders met with representatives of the E3 countries, the UK, France, and Germany, in Geneva on Tuesday. 

France, Britain, and Germany, known as the E3, have long threatened to trigger the "snapback" of sanctions at the United Nations Security Council by October 18.

This diplomatic blitz comes as Europeans approach a deadline they have set: either Iranian concessions on its nuclear program, or snapback sanctions.

Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament suspending cooperation with the IAEA.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister and Grossi discussed developments in the Iranian nuclear issue during their separate Tuesday call.