Iran said Monday it held a “brief discussion” with the United States on its nuclear program during talks in Switzerland, but insisted negotiations on the issue had not begun.

“One of the points raised by the American delegation was the presentation of its positions regarding the nuclear issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

“A very brief discussion took place regarding the nuclear issue, but there was no discussion of details, and it cannot be said that negotiations on the nuclear issue have begun,” he added.

Following a first round of talks between Tehran and Washington towards ending the Middle East war, Switzerland said Monday that conditions were set for technical discussions to follow immediately.

“The Swiss facilitator welcomes the constructive progress made during the intensive diplomatic talks that continued throughout the night of 21-22 June at the Burgenstock between the mediators, Iran and the United States,” the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the roadmap agreed “creates the conditions for the immediate resumption of new technical discussions.” AFP