A spokesperson for the European Union has announced that Catherine Ashton, the head of EU foreign policy, and Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, have agreed to continue talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Reuters reports that Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for the EU, said there will be “a phone contact between the High Representative and chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Dr. Jalili in order to discuss the next steps in our negotiations.”
The news follows the EU’s approval of more sanctions against Iran in mid-October.
AFP also reported that Ali Bagheri and Helga Schmid, the deputies of the Iranian and EU chief negotiators, held a phone conversation on Wednesday regarding a meeting between the G5+1 and Iranian delegations.
ISNA reports that an earlier phone call on Monday was declined because Bagheri was said to be occupied.
Ashton said earlier this month that she hoped for the negotiations to resume soon.
Tehran continues to dismiss allegations that its nuclear program has a military component, but the EU and the United States have imposed strict sanctions on Iran that have significantly restricted its ability to sell its oil exports around the world.
