ISTANBUL

Iran and the European countries, including Britain, France and Germany, agreed to continue consultations after Tehran and the E3 nations held nuclear talks earlier Friday in Istanbul.

Describing the talks as "serious, frank, and detailed," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Friday said on X that the recent developments concerning the sanctions relief and the nuclear issue were examined and discussed.

"While seriously criticising their stances regarding the recent war of aggression against our people, we explained our principled positions, including on the so-called snapback mechanism," Gharibabadi stated.

Stressing that both parties joined the negotiations "with specific ideas, the various aspects of which were examined," he added that he agreed that "consultations on this matter will continue."

Earlier on Friday, delegations from Iran and the three European countries of France, Germany and Britain, collectively known as the E3, concluded a second round of nuclear talks at Iran’s Consulate General in Istanbul.

The E3 group previously met with Iranian officials in Istanbul on May 16 for deputy foreign minister-level talks.

Both US-Iran talks and the broader negotiation process with European parties were halted after Israel launched an attack on Iran on June 13.