Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri met on Thursday and held talks on issues of mutual interest in Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry said.

Mora's visit "is a follow-up to consultations between the two sides on matters of shared interest, particularly Iran-EU relations, Afghanistan and the nuclear agreement," the ministry added.

The talks came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of "other options" if diplomacy fails.

The 2015 nuclear deal, which gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear activities, has been on life support since 2018, when then U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out.

Talks were held earlier this year in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the agreement – Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – with the U.S. taking part indirectly. The talks have been on hold since a June election in Iran led to a change of president.

(With input from Xinhua and AFP)