The EU’s coordinator for talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal met Iran’s Foreign Minister and its chief negotiator on Sunday in Tehran, state media reported, hoping to bridge gaps in the talks.
“Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalks,” European Union diplomat Enrique Mora tweeted ahead of his trip. “We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake.”
Iran has been engaged in efforts to revive the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly since April 2021.
Mr. Mora, who coordinates indirect talks between Iran and the U.S., arrived in Tehran late Saturday and on Sunday met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, state news agency IRNA reported.
The report gave no details on the meeting or earlier discussions between Mora and Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri.
“Bagheri stressed that an agreement can be reached if the American side is realistic,” IRNA said.
Mr. Mora’s visit comes as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell voiced hope for a renewed accord within “days”.
“We are very close but there are still some issues pending,” Mr. Borrell told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.
“I cannot tell you when or how, but it is a matter of days.”
The 2015 deal gave Iran much-needed sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme that would guarantee it could not develop a nuclear weapon — something it has always denied wanting to do.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday met top Israeli officials in Jerusalem to build consensus.
Israel fiercely opposed the initial accord, which promised Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, and has said that a revived agreement will not do enough to curb the Iranian threat.
Speaking alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Mr. Blinken said the U.S. believes restoring the agreement was “the best way to put Iran’s programme back in the box” after the U.S. withdrew from the deal under former President Donald Trump in 2018.
