Iran is set to hold talks with Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday to discuss its nuclear program, just two months before Donald Trump returns as U.S. president.
Details about the meeting remain scarce, with foreign ministries offering little information on the agenda.
Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, political deputy to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, will lead Iran's delegation in the discussions, which follow a similar meeting in New York this past September.
Ahead of the talks, Takht-Ravanchi and Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, met with Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general of the European Union's foreign affairs arm, on Thursday to lay the groundwork.
Mora said on X that they held a "frank exchange ... on Iran's military support to Russia that has to stop, the nuclear issue that needs a diplomatic solution, regional tensions (important to avoid further escalation from all sides) and human rights."
After the talks, Gharibabadi, also on X, said on Friday that he and Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed to Mora "that the EU should abandon its self-centered and irresponsible behavior" on a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine and the Iranian nuclear issue.
Gharibabadi added that the EU's "complicit behavior toward the ongoing genocide in Gaza" leaves it without moral authority to "preach" on human rights.
Friday's meeting takes place amid extreme tension in the Middle East between Israel and Iran and its allies.
This week, a fragile cease-fire took effect in Lebanon after a year of conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would do "everything" to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon after Araghchi warned Iran could end its ban on developing one if Western sanctions are reimposed.
Israel is the region's sole if undeclared, nuclear-armed state and has long made preventing its archrival from matching it a top defense priority.
The West's accusation that Iran is supplying Russia with explosive drones for its war in Ukraine further darkens the backdrop to Friday's talks.
On Jan. 20, Trump, who pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran during his first term, returns to the White House.
Friday's talks in Geneva have been overshadowed by the European countries teaming up with the U.S. to have Iran censured by the U.N. atomic watchdog.
Last week, the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution proposed by Britain, France, Germany and the United States condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear issues.
The chiding at the IAEA prompted a defiant response from Iran, which described the move as "politically motivated" and, in response, announced the launch of "new advanced centrifuges" designed to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium.
However, Iranian officials have since signaled a willingness to engage with others ahead of Trump's return.
Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but according to the IAEA, it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium to 60%.
The IAEA said in a report that Iran planned to install thousands of new centrifuges.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper published Thursday, Araghchi warned that frustration in Tehran over unmet commitments, such as lifting sanctions, was fueling debate over whether the country should alter its nuclear policy.
"We have no intention to go further than 60% for the time being, and this is our determination right now," he told the British daily.
But, he added, "there is this debate going on in Iran, and mostly among the elites ... whether we should change our nuclear doctrine" as so far it has proven to be "insufficient in practice."
A 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers aimed to give Iran relief from crippling Western sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent it from developing a weapons capability.
Tehran has consistently denied any such ambition.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final authority in Iran's decision-making, has issued a religious decree, or fatwa, prohibiting atomic weapons.
For Tehran, the goal of Friday's talks is to avoid a "double disaster" scenario of renewed pressures from both Trump and European governments, according to political analyst Mostafa Shirmohammadi.
He noted that Iran's support in Europe had been eroded by allegations it offered military assistance for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Iran has denied these accusations and hopes to mend relations with Europe while also maintaining a firm stance.
