Iran has confirmed new talks with European powers to be held in Istanbul on Friday, state media reported, the first since the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
Iranian diplomats will meet with counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, after the trio warned that sanctions could be reimposed on Tehran if it does not return to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
Western countries and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied.
“In response to a request from European countries, Iran has agreed to hold a new round of talks,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said, state television reported on Monday.
The topic of the talks will be Iran’s nuclear program, it added.
A German diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday that the E3 was in contact with Tehran and that “Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.”
“That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom continue to work intensively in the E3 format to find a viable and verifiable diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program,” the source said.
Israel launched a wave of surprise attacks on its regional enemy on June 13, targeting key military and nuclear facilities.
The United States launched its own series of attacks on Iran’s nuclear program on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility in Fordow, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
