ISTANBUL, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Diplomats from Iran and the E3, namely France, Britain and Germany, have agreed to continue consultations following a discussion in Istanbul on Friday concerning sanctions relief and the nuclear issue, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi.
The closed-door meeting took place at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, with Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Gharibabadi leading the Iranian delegation.
Following the meeting, which lasted around four hours, Gharibabadi said on the social media platform X that Iran and the European trio held "serious, frank, and detailed" discussions regarding the nuclear issue and sanctions-lifting.
He added that the Iranian side voiced strong criticism of the European positions regarding its recent conflict with Israel and reiterated its "principled stance," including on the snapback mechanism.
The snapback mechanism is a clause in a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that would allow the other parties to re-impose all international sanctions should Iran fail to comply with the agreement.
The talks come amid efforts to restart diplomacy on the Iranian nuclear issue after both the U.S.-Iran negotiations and broader discussions with European parties were suspended following an Israeli attack on Iran on June 13.
Iran signed the JCPOA in July 2015 with six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The JCPOA largely collapsed when Washington withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to roll back its nuclear commitments. ■
