ISTANBUL: Iranian diplomats said they held “frank and detailed” nuclear talks on Friday with counterparts from Germany, Britain and France, who have threatened to trigger sanctions if Tehran fails to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with UN inspectors. The meeting in Istanbul was the first since Israel launched an attack on Iran last month targeting key nuclear and military sites, sparking a 12-day war and leading Tehran to pull away from working with the UN watchdog.

The warning from Iran’s deputy foreign minister came days before he is set to travel to Istanbul for nuclear talks with European counterparts.

The E3 nations meeting marks the first since Israel targeted Iran’s key nuclear and military sites in a 12-day war.