Iran and the E3 group of three European countries will hold talks in Rome on Friday, a day before the fourth round of nuclear negotiations with the US.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media on Wednesday the next round of talks with the US would be held in the Italian capital on Saturday. "We will also have a meeting with three European countries on Friday," he added, referring to the UK, France and Germany.
"I think that the role of the three European countries has diminished due to the wrong policies they have adopted, of course we do not want this," Mr Araghchi said, appearing to refer to their sanctions on Iran. "This is why we are ready to hold the next round of negotiations with them in Rome."
The talks are aimed at improving strained ties with the European nations at a time of high-stakes, indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US that began on April 12.
The long-time geopolitical foes have held three rounds of talks, mediated by Oman, the highest level of contact between the two sides in years.
The E3 – along with China and Russia – were parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that fell apart when Washington withdrew in 2018 during Donald Trump's first term as US president. Attempts to revive the deal were made in 2021 with talks in Vienna that ultimately failed under the Biden administration.
Since then, European countries have largely remained sidelined from the talks until recently. The second round was held in Rome, with the other two in Muscat.
France on Monday said that along with Germany and Britain, it "will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions" scrapped a decade ago if European security is threatened by Iran's nuclear activities.
"Resorting to threats and economic blackmail is entirely unacceptable," Iran's mission to the UN said in a letter carried by the country's Isna news agency.
Mr Araghchi said: "We will continue our negotiations with the Europeans but the main negotiations are currently with the United States."
