Iran has agreed with Germany, France and Britain to hold talks on its nuclear programme, the country's Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
The move comes after warnings by the Europeans that failure to resume negotiations would lead to UN sanctions being reimposed on Tehran.
"The principle of talks has been agreed upon, but consultations are continuing on the time and place of the talks," the semi-official Tasnim agency quoted a source as saying. "The country in which the talks could be held next week has not been finalised."
Iran and the US held several rounds of negotiations aimed at reviving a nuclear deal but those were derailed when Israel launched strikes on Iran in June, leading to 12 days of war.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said France, Britain and Germany would launch the UN snapback mechanism on Iran to restore sanctions by the end of August if no concrete progress has been made on a deal by then.
Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying a 2015 nuclear pact, the deadline for the three European powers to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran is October 18.
But August had long been discussed as an informal date because of procedural reasons related to the snapback mechanism, which involves a 30-day review period.
The mechanism can be requested by participants of the 2015 deal and cannot be vetoed by any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, the US, Russia, France and Britain.
Tehran has said its nuclear programme is peaceful but Israel and the US say it was months away from producing a nuclear bomb before their recent air strikes on Iran, an assessment that has not been made publicly by the Europeans.
The strikes pushed the Iranian parliament to pass a law stipulating that inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the UN's nuclear watchdog needs approval from Tehran's Supreme National Security Council.
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
