EU foreign policy chief invites Iran for talks on nuclear program

European Union invites Iran for nuclear talks

LUXEMBOURG — Officials say EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has invited Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to talks on his country’s nuclear program.

A diplomat who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue says Iran is expected to respond positively to the proposal, with the talks being held sometime over the summer.

Ashton wrote to Jalili after the U.N. Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on Iran for refusing to negotiate on its suspected nuclear program. Iran denies Western accusations that it is covertly developing nuclear weapons.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg are also looking at imposing their own set of sanctions against Tehran. A draft document says these should target the financial and transport sectors, as well as investments in its oil industry.