After another round of negotiations led to a “final text” offered by the European Union, an agreement on restoring Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers could be near.
The latest indirect EU-mediated talks between Iran and the United States, which also involved representatives from China, Russia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, focused on technical adjustments to a text proposed on July 21, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
After the talks concluded and negotiators headed back to their nations’ capitals for consultations, Borrell wrote, “What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text,” in a tweet late Monday
He stated, “However, behind every technical issue and every paragraph lies a political decision that needs to be taken in the capitals. If these answers are positive, then we can sign this deal.”
The reception of the final text, saying if Tehran and Washington have no objections, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is formally known, can be restored, was also confirmed by Russia’s chief negotiator, Mikhail Ulyanov.
Saying Iran’s “views and considerations” were conveyed to the bloc, and Tehran expects “seriousness” from all sides to achieve an agreement, Iran said Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had a phone call with Borrell after the text was circulated.
Indicating that progress was made after months of deadlock, negotiators from different parties expressed cautious optimism about the prospects of restoring the deal the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018.
Countering the European narrative that appears to call for a quick final decision, but messaging from the Iranian side signaled some issues still remain unresolved.
