EU: We are in regular touch with Tehran

ISNA - While a new round of talks between Iran and the three European countries (E3) that are members of the JCPOA, including the UK, France, and Germany, will begin in the coming days, an EU spokesperson announced that Brussels is in continuous consultation with Tehran on this issue.

In response to an ISNA reporter's question about starting a new round of talks between Iran and the European E3 in Geneva, an EU spokesperson said: “As coordinator we continue to be in regular touch with Iran. We have no further details to add at this stage.”

In response to ISNA, Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy minister for legal and international affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, announced on Wednesday last week, that a new round of talks between Iran and three European countries would be held in Geneva on January 13.

He clarified: We are not one to make predictions and we must enter into talks to see what will happen. As we have previously announced, these are talks and not negotiations. These talks are to clarify issues and broader consultations to see what, if any, talks should take place, in what context, method, and framework they should be.

Furthermore, Esmail Baghaei the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, also said on Monday during his weekly press conference: The new round of talks between Iran and Europe will be held in Geneva on January 14 and 15, and this is a continuation of the talks that were held in December.

He added: During these talks, a range of issues including regional issues, bilateral relations, the nuclear issue, and the lifting of sanctions will be discussed, and as I said before, these talks are a continuation of a process that was previously agreed upon and are another step in the talks between Iran and Europe.

Baghaei also said: We have never run away from the negotiating table and believed in dialogue. Mr. Araqchi also announced that we are ready for honorable negotiations to lift sanctions and the nuclear program. The form in which the talks will be held will be decided.

Meanwhile Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the deputy political director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also said in an interview with Italian journalist Francesco De Leo: We are in contact with the members of the JCPOA, which include three European countries, China, and Russia. The United States is not considered a party to the JCPOA due to its withdrawal from the JCPOA, so we are not holding talks with it. We recently held talks with three European countries twice in the past few months. We are still ready to talk, but it must be clear that the talk is not just for the sake of talking, but must be fruitful. This is our position and we will continue on this path.

The previous round of talks between Iran and the three European countries was held in late November.