TEHRAN
\nIran\u2019s nuclear negotiator on Tuesday said he had met with diplomats from three European countries in Abu Dhabi to discuss a number of issues including the country\u2019s atomic energy programme.
\n\u201cFollowing diplomatic consultations with regional and extra-regional parties, we met with our German, French and British counterparts in Abu Dhabi and discussed a range of issues,\u201d deputy foreign minister and top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri tweeted.
\nGermany\u2019s foreign ministry said the meeting took place on Monday and that discussions broached topics concerning Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.
\nState news agency IRNA added that Bagheri was also in Abu Dhabi to discuss with the officials the promotion of bilateral cooperation and to review regional issues.
\nIran\u2019s nuclear programme has long been the subject of scrutiny from Western powers, resulting in sanctions that have hit the country\u2019s economy.
\nA landmark deal in 2015, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon \u2014 something it has always denied wanting to do.
\nBut the US unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and the reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.
\nOn-off negotiations with France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China directly, and the United States indirectly to revive the deal have stalled in the past months.
\nIranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani on Monday said the country has continued indirect negotiations with the United States over the issue.
\nOn Sunday, Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated that the country does not seek to acquire a nuclear weapon, adding that agreements could be reached in certain nuclear fields.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN Iran\u2019s nuclear negotiator on Tuesday said he had met with diplomats from three European countries in Abu Dhabi to discuss a number of issues including the country\u2019s atomic energy programme. \u201cFollowing diplomatic consultations with regional and extra-regional parties, we met with our German, French and British counterparts in Abu Dhabi and discussed a range […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-337698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n