Talks between Tehran and European nations kick off as Iran says its position is ‘unchanged’

Delegations arrive at Iran’s Istanbul consulate this morning for face-to-face talks between Iran and the so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany, a Reuters witness reports.

Senior diplomats from the E3 group are set to hold talks with Iran’s negotiating team for the first time since US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, aiming to gauge Tehran’s appetite for a compromise to avert sanctions.

Ahead of the talks, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says that Tehran’s position remains “firm and steadfast.”

“Our uranium enrichment will continue; we will not give up this right of the Iranian people,” Araqchi says in a video carried by state media, adding that today’s talks are “a continuation of previous discussions, and the world must understand that our position is clear and unchanged.”