WANA (May 16) – Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, wrote at the conclusion of a meeting with the political directors of the European Troika: “Iran and the three European countries are determined to preserve diplomacy.”

 

Posting on his social media account, Gharibabadi added: “Dr. Takht-Ravanchi and I hosted the political directors of the three European countries in Istanbul.”

 

He continued: “We exchanged views and discussed the latest developments in the indirect nuclear talks and the lifting of sanctions.”

 

Gharibabadi emphasized: “Iran and the three European countries are committed to maintaining and making the best use of diplomacy. If necessary, we will meet again to continue the discussions.”

 

A few hours ago, media outlets reported the arrival of delegations at the Iranian Consulate General in Istanbul, where the Iran-Europe talks are being held.

The meeting of political directors from Iran and the three European signatories to the JCPOA is taking place today at the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

The main agenda of the meeting is to continue consultations between Iran and the three countries—Germany, the United Kingdom, and France—particularly regarding the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States.

 

In response to a question about the talks between the political directors of the three European countries—Britain, France, and Germany—and senior Iranian deputy foreign ministers Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi in Istanbul, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated: “These talks are separate from the Iran-U.S. discussions. This is a dialogue with the three European countries.”

 

So far, Iran and the European Troika have held three rounds of talks regarding Iran’s nuclear dossier. A new round of negotiations between Iran and Europe was initially scheduled to take place in Rome on Friday, May 1 (12 Ordibehesht), prior to the fourth round of Iran-U.S. talks. However, due to the postponement of the latter, the meeting with the Europeans was also delayed.

 

Back on January 14, Gharibabadi had described the third round of talks as “open and constructive,” saying: “We mainly exchanged views on the lifting of sanctions, the nuclear issue, and other bilateral matters of interest. We also addressed Europe’s unacceptable support for Israeli crimes in Gaza.”

 

Despite Iran’s emphasis on continued engagement, the three European countries—who are parties to the JCPOA—did not attend the negotiation table at the start of the indirect talks between Iran and the United States.