Iran has launched a new round of talks on its nuclear program with the three European powers in Geneva, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The two-day discussions are scheduled to end today. They are taking place a week before Donald Trump returns to the White House. During his first term as US president, Trump withdrew his country from the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program and restored US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iran already held talks with France, Germany and Britain in the Swiss city less than two months ago. Diplomacy is intensifying amid Western powers' concerns about the progress of Iran's nuclear program, AFP notes.
The new round of talks is at the level of deputy foreign ministers. A representative of the Iranian delegation described the discussions as "serious, frank and constructive".
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in London, saying he would sign a "strategic partnership" to strengthen cooperation with Britain, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
This agreement is the beginning of a new era in relations between the two countries, added Al-Sudani.
He made the statement on the plane en route to the British capital, where he arrived yesterday for a three-day visit. The Iraqi prime minister is expected to meet his British counterpart Keir Starmer and King Charles III, as well as representatives of major British companies.
This visit will "help give impetus" to the historic relations between the two countries, the Iraqi prime minister added. He promised that the partnership agreement would be "one of the most important milestones in relations between Iraq and Britain.
A joint communiqué on bilateral security cooperation is also expected to be signed, Al-Sudani added, referring to the new "agreements" reached by his country in view of "the end of the international coalition mission".
Amid the explosive situation in the region, armed pro-Iranian Iraqi groups carried out dozens of drone strikes and missile attacks in the winter of 2023 against soldiers of the international coalition led by Washington, in which Britain also participates. To avoid an escalation of violence on Iraqi territory, the prime minister has begun talks with Washington about the future of the coalition, which also has a presence in neighboring Syria to fight jihadists from the "Islamic State" group, AFP notes.
The coalition's foreign military advisers are expected to begin withdrawing from military bases in Iraq (excluding the Kurdish autonomous region) in September 2025. The second phase of withdrawal will begin in September 2026, and will concern coalition forces stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan, AFP notes.