Senior officials from Iran and the European trio of Britain, France, and Germany (E3) convened Monday to discuss the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran and issues related to its nuclear program.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi met with political directors and deputies from the E3 in Geneva, Switzerland. The discussions also included exchanges on matters of mutual interest and regional developments.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, also participated in the meeting.

After the talks, Gharibabadi wrote on X that "the third round of talks between Iran and the three European countries was held in Geneva. The talks were serious, frank, and constructive."

"While going into some details, we discussed and explored ideas in the two areas of sanctions lifting and nuclear that are essential to reaching an agreement," he pointed out.

Gharibabadi confirmed that "there was a consensus that negotiations should be resumed and that a conducive atmosphere should be created and maintained by all parties to reach an agreement. It was agreed that the talks would continue."

Further talks on schedule

Takht-Ravanchi is scheduled to hold further talks on Thursday with Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, in Geneva.

Iran's meeting with the European trio is part of ongoing discussions, following talks held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and negotiations that took place in Geneva in November.

These discussions are part of intermittent negotiations that have been ongoing since 2021. The talks were initiated three years after the United States, under then-President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, reinstating sanctions on Tehran. Despite commitments, the European trio failed to bring the US back into the agreement.

In response to the non-compliance of other parties, Iran adopted retaliatory measures, including the deployment of advanced centrifuges and other nuclear advancements, to counter their lack of commitment.

Earlier this year, the E3 supported a US-proposed anti-Iran resolution submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors, which was subsequently approved.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized on Monday that Iran prioritizes the lifting of sanctions, "However, we have learned that we should improve our power to minimize the impacts of the sanctions," he stressed.

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