Iran has reached an agreement in principle to hold talks with the UK, France and Germany over its nuclear program, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The talks are expected to take place on Friday and will be at the deputy foreign minister level, according to Iran's state-run IRIB News. The discussions will be separate from the indirect talks with the US, the outlet reported. 

The three European countries, or E3, are parties to the original nuclear agreement, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which US President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018. On Friday, Axios reported that Iran and the E3 were expected to meet in Europe next week to discuss a potential agreement.

Diplomatic efforts to revive Iran's nuclear deal have stalled since June 13, when Israel launched an attack on the country days before a planned sixth round of Oman-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington.

That derailed negotiations that had begun in April. Iran was also engaged in limited parallel talks with the E3 and the European Union.

Iran and the US have remained deadlocked over restarting their own nuclear negotiations. Iranian officials have demanded assurances against further attacks, including by the US, which joined Israel in bombing Iran's nuclear sites last month.

Source: Bloomberg