ISTANBUL — A senior Iranian diplomat said “serious, frank, and detailed” discussions on nuclear and sanctions issues were held Friday in Istanbul between Iranian officials and representatives of the European Union and the E3 — France, Germany, and the UK — amid rising tensions following the recent 12-day war with Israel.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal affairs, said he and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, met with envoys from the three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal as well as EU officials.

The talks, conducted at the deputy foreign minister level, focused heavily on the so-called snapback mechanism — a provision that allows for the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran — which the E3 is reportedly preparing to trigger.

In a social media post, Gharibabadi said the Iranian side sharply criticized the European stance on the recent Israeli military strikes and emphasized Tehran’s "principled positions," including its opposition to the snapback provision, which it considers “legally and morally void.”

The Istanbul meeting follows heightened diplomatic tensions, including a letter last week from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, stating that the European trio had forfeited their role as participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Gharibabadi said both sides entered Friday’s meeting with specific proposals that were “thoroughly examined,” and agreed to continue consultations.

The talks came more than a month after Israel launched an unprecedented series of airstrikes on Tehran and other cities on June 13, killing several senior military officials and nuclear scientists.

That confrontation has cast doubt over the future of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US, originally scheduled to resume in Muscat. — Agencies