A new round of multifaceted talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) has opened in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The first round of the new comprehensive talks began in Istanbul on Saturday after a hiatus of 15 months. The second round of the negotiations will be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the date of which will be announced at the end of the Istanbul meeting Press TV reported.

The Iranian delegation is headed by Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili while the delegations of the six world powers are headed by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The four-member Iranian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Friday for the talks with the representatives of the P5+1 (China, Russia, Britain, France, the US and Germany) on a host of issues.

On the threshold of the resumption of the formal talks, Jalili and Ashton held a meeting Friday night at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul.

On Wednesday, the SNSC secretary said that Tehran will offer “new initiatives” during the talks with the P5+1.

Russia and China have expressed optimism about the talks.