TEHRAN- Iran confirmed on Wednesday that a senior Iranian diplomat held a meeting with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, saying the two sides discussed the need to lift the U.S. sanctions on Iran. 

Shahrokh Nazemi, head of the media office of Iran’s permanent mission to the UN, said Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht Ravanchi held a virtual meeting with Senator Murphy on Tuesday afternoon in which they discussed the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna. 

Takht Ravanchi underlined the need for practical removal of all U.S. sanctions on Iran which were imposed under various labels, calling the removal of sanctions “a key issue.”

During the meeting, Iran’s ambassador to the UN also clarified Tehran’s position for a peaceful end to the war in Yemen.

“In the talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran's will for a peaceful settlement of the war in Yemen was noted, and it was stressed that any solution to the Yemeni crisis must ensure the complete lifting of the siege and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to the country and a ceasefire,” Nazemi said, according to Fars News.

He added, “As to the Zionists’ crimes against the Palestinian people it was underlined that the recent clash began with the Zionist regime’s provocation and continued with the killing of the Palestinian people, but in recent days the U.S. government, by supporting Israel, has blocked adoption of a statement by the Security Council on a ceasefire.”

Nazemi pointed out that the position of the Islamic Republic on the comprehensive exchange of prisoners between Iran and the United States was also emphasized.

The remarks came after Murphy, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he met with Takht Ravanchi. 

Murphy “on Tuesday met with Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The two discussed the Iran nuclear deal, the war in Yemen, and the release of American prisoners in Iran,” the statement said. 

“I made the case directly to Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi today for the Iranians to engage with seriousness and urgency in nuclear negotiations,” the senator said, adding that he also sought Iran’s help in cooling down the situation in Yemen and Palestine.

The senator’s statement also pointed to the recent visit by Murphy to the region.

“Earlier this month, Murphy’s traveled to Qatar, Oman and Jordan to meet with foreign leaders and senior officials including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Omani Foreign Minister Al-Busaidi, Qatari Foreign Minister Al-Thani, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and several European ambassadors to Yemen to discuss the humanitarian crisis and urgent need to find a political solution to end the war in Yemen,” the statement said.