Iran, European troika to hold nuclear talks on Jan. 13 in Geneva

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Iran said Wednesday that it will hold a new round of nuclear talks with the European troika – France, Germany and the UK (E3) – in the Swiss city of Geneva on Jan. 13.

“What is happening between Iran and the E3 is talks, not negotiations,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in statements carried by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

The Iranian diplomat, however, did not provide any further details about the content of the planned talks.

There was no European confirmation yet of the meeting.

In November, Iran and the European troika held a round of talks amid escalating tensions over Iran's nuclear program, which came after the Persian country had announced the activation of new and advanced centrifuges in response to a resolution passed by the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA)'s board against Tehran.

The resolution was the second in five months that criticized Iran for "failing to cooperate fully" with the IAEA and urged Tehran to address concerns regarding uranium particles allegedly found at two nuclear sites in the country.

Iran's government headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to reopen channels of communication with the West and to have sanctions eased. However, the events in Gaza and Lebanon and related developments have prevented that.

Nuclear diplomacy stalled with Iran during US President-elect Donald Trump's previous tenure, when Washington withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that curbed Tehran's nuclear work in exchange for relief from international sanctions.