European diplomats are optimistic about efforts by Iran and the US to close remaining differences on steps to revive the 2015 nuclear deal in the near future, EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said.
Both sides are considering written proposals and “I see that we are in the last meters of the game,” Borrell told reporters at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Washington, DC.
Borrell endorsed the US interpretation of the quick timeline for wrapping up indirect US-Iran talks in Vienna — the latest round of that diplomacy started in Vienna today. The talks will have to conclude before advances in Iran’s nuclear program make the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal impossible to restore, he said.
The 2015 deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, the UK, China, Russia, and France — plus Germany and the EU. Despite the International Atomic Energy Agency’s acknowledgement of Iran’s adherence to all of its obligations, the US former government unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted.
Former US President Donald Trump also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his so-called “maximum pressure” campaign.
Source: Iranian media
