Iran denies reports of planned meeting with European representatives

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi has denied reports to Reuters about a planned meeting with representatives from the UK, France, and Germany in Vienna as part of negotiations on the resumption of sanctions against Iran's nuclear program.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abbas Arakchi is traveling to New York. Talks with representatives of the Trump administration in the US are expected to take place there.

The European countries, which initiated a 30-day process to reimpose sanctions at the end of August, are proposing a conditional suspension of sanctions for up to six months if Iran grants access to UN inspectors to verify its stocks of enriched uranium.

The status of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile has been unclear since June, when Iranian nuclear facilities were bombed by Israel and the US. The West claims that Iran's nuclear program goes beyond civilian needs, while Tehran claims that it only wants to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

(reuters, sie)