Official: EU open to Iran talks as embargo looms

BRUSSELS — The EU’s foreign policy chief says the international community remains open to talks with Iran, even as an EU embargo on Iranian oil seems set to be approved Monday.

Catherine Ashton released a letter on Friday that she sent in October to Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator. The letter said Ashton’s overall goal is a negotiated solution that “restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”

Ashton says she has received no reply. Many foreign officials fear Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, diplomats said Friday that EU foreign ministers will likely approve a ban on buying Iranian oil, even though working out the details will be left for later.