France, July 26 -- In a renewed bid to defuse tensions and revive diplomacy, Iranian and European diplomats met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss Tehran's nuclear programme.

The talks, held at Iran's consulate, brought together representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom - known as the E3 - for the first time since Iran's conflict with Israel in June.

The hostilities, which also saw American B-52 bombers target Iranian nuclear-linked facilities, marked a sharp escalation in the already fragile situation.

Now the focus has shifted back to diplomacy, with discussions centring on whether to reintroduce sanctions originally lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran says it will not halt nuclear enrichment ahead of Europ...