Iran and European powers held talks in Istanbul about Tehran's nuclear negotiations with Washington as US President Donald Trump warned "something bad" will happen if the Islamic republic does not quickly decide on a US proposal for a deal.
The meeting came amid threats by Britain, France, and Germany (E3) over the re-imposition of UN sanctions against Iran if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has warned the move would have "irreversible" consequences that would risk "provoking a global nuclear proliferation crisis" affecting Europeans first.
European and Iranian diplomats discussed "the latest state of play" on the nuclear talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X, without elaborating.
He said Iran and the European powers "are determined to sustain and make best use of diplomacy" and said further meetings will be held "if necessary."
The E3, who are signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from during his first term in office in 2018, have been sidelined since Tehran and Washington restarted nuclear talks last month with Oman's mediation.
A fourth round of talks was held in Muscat on May 10 and while both sides have said another there will be another round of negotiations, no date has been set.
Meanwhile, Trump on May 16 said Washington had tabled a proposal that Tehran needed to make a decision on quickly.
"They have a proposal. More importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad -- something bad is going to happen," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates.
Tehran, however, insists it has not received any proposals.
Trump has threatened military action against Iranian nuclear facilities if the two countries fail to reach a deal.
During his four-day tour of the Middle East this week, Trump said the United States was "getting close" to a deal with Iran.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior aide to Khamenei, told NBC News earlier this week that Iran would commit to never making a nuclear weapon, shipping out highly enriched uranium, and agreeing to enrich uranium to levels needed for civilian use if Trump agreed to immediately remove sanctions against Tehran.
Trump himself reposted a link the NBC interview with Shamkhani on his Truth Social platform, leading to speculation online that the US president is at least not opposed to the Iranian official's suggestions.
However, critics say Shamkhani's proposal mirrors the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the formal name of the 2015 nuclear deal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 15 said Iran was "at the threshold" of developing a nuclear weapon and insisted that Washington was facing a critical moment with Tehran. Iran, which is enriching uranium at near weapons-grade level of 60 percent, says its nuclear program is peaceful and is willing to offer assurances to the United States to allay concerns.
