Hamid Baeidinejad, who is director general for political and international affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, represented the Islamic Republic, while Stephen Clement, an aide to the European Union foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, represented the other side during the Wednesday meeting.

The two sides are scheduled to discuss technical issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program during the two-day talks in the Austrian capital city of Vienna.

The negotiations are being held on the sidelines of the quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain - plus Germany have been discussing ways to iron out differences and start drafting a final deal that would end the West’s dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.

Iran and its negotiating partners wrapped up their latest round of high-level nuclear talks in Vienna on May 16. The next round of nuclear talks between the two sides is slated to be held in the Austrian capital from June 16 to 20.

In November 2013, Iran and the six world powers signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva that came into force on January 20.

Under the Geneva deal, the six countries agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on the Islamic Republic within the same time frame.

HH/HH