Turkish, Iranian top envoys discuss upcoming nuclear talks in Istanbul

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, have discussed over a phone call the upcoming nuclear talks set to take place in Istanbul on Friday.

During the call on Monday, they also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and developments in Syria, said Turkish diplomatic sources.

A new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the three European countries known as the E3, the UK, France, and Germany, is set to take place in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Friday.

Earlier, Tehran said it would host Russian and Chinese officials on Tuesday to discuss its nuclear programme.

“We are in constant consultation with these two countries to prevent activation of the snapback or to mitigate its consequences,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news briefing in Tehran, cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The "snapback" provision under the 2015 nuclear deal allows signatories to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if it is found in violation of the deal.

"We have no plans to hold talks with the US in the current situation,” Baghaei said. Talks between Tehran and the US were being held through Omani mediators until Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on June 13, which triggered a 12-day war.

The attack came just two days before a planned sixth round of negotiations in the Omani capital, Muscat.

Iran accused the US of complicity in the Israeli attack, which killed top Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The US also launched strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, claiming to have obliterated them. A ceasefire took effect on June 24.