Washington, July 16 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK have agreed in a phone call to set the end of August as the de facto deadline for securing a renewed nuclear deal with Iran, Axios reported, citing three diplomatic sources.

The decision marks a critical juncture in long-stalled talks aimed at preventing Iran from advancing its nuclear capabilities unchecked. "If no deal is reached by the deadline, the European trio plans to trigger the "snapback" mechanism - a clause in the original 2015 nuclear agreement that would automatically reinstate all previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions on Tehran, Axios reported.

"The clock is ticking. This is a final opportunity for Ir...