Aliasghar Soltanieh, Iranian ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, told Reuters that the talks — which were tentatively set to take place in Vienna — were put off for unspecified procedural reasons.
“Yes, the talks were canceled for today. They will be convened in Vienna in a couple of days. Possibly Friday or so. But it’s not sure (yet),” Soltanieh said.
Asked why the talks were put off, he said: “Nothing specific. It was just a matter of procedural arrangements, and the ability of the two parties to get together. It may be more convenient for both parties to meet at that time (Friday).”
The talks between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani were intended to explore Iranian hints that it could negotiate on the scope of its nuclear programme.
Iran defied an August 31 deadline to stop enriching uranium or risk sanctions by the U.N. Security Council.
Tehran it says it is pursuing a civilian nuclear programme to generate electricity. Western leaders suspect a disguised drive to build atomic bombs.
