Tehran: A new round of talks between Tehran and the E3 group of France, Britain and Germany will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 13, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a senior Iranian diplomat.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in an address to reporters in Tehran on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the assassination of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani by the United States in January 2020, the report said.
The talks, “which are not considered negotiations,” would focus on clarifying different issues of common concern and holding further consultations, so as to decide on the method and framework for any possible negotiations in the future, said Gharibabadi.
In the previous round of the talks, senior diplomats from Iran and the three European powers convened in Geneva in late November last year, exchanging views on a range of issues including Tehran’s nuclear programme, Xinhua news agency reported.
Following the November talks, Gharibabadi said “candid discussions” had been held, noting, “We discussed and took stock of recent bilateral, regional and international developments, particularly issues concerning the nuclear program and lifting of sanctions.”
Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on it. The United States, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments under the deal.
The talks to revive the deal began in April 2021 in Austria’s capital Vienna. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved.
(IANS)
