The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that adjourned negotiations between Iran and P4+1 countries to revive the 2015 nuclear deal would be reinstated “soon.”
Borrell’s remarks came during a news conference held in the Qatari capital Doha within the scope of his visit to the Gulf country. Speaking at the conference, Borrell commented on the stalled indirect talks between Iran and the US in Vienna that were carried out through the mediatory of EU countries.
In his speech, he expressed his belief that the negotiations targeting to ensure the return of Tehran and Washington into the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would resume “within an acceptable period of time.”
Meanwhile, the new Iranian administration under President Ebrahim Raisi stated that the recordings of previous rounds of nuclear talks are under review, and when it is finished, Iran will return to the negotiation table as soon as possible.
Elsewhere, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a news conference that, “Every meeting requires prior coordination and the preparation of an agenda. As previously emphasized, the Vienna talks will resume soon and over the next few weeks.”
Western countries have called on Iran to resume talks, warning that time is running out while Tehran’s nuclear activities are advancing well beyond the restrictions determined within the deal’s scope.
On the other hand, Tehran has insistently emphasized that its advancement in the nuclear program is reversible if the US sanctions on Iran are lifted.
Last week, Western officials who are familiar with the matter stated that the US has communicated with China through diplomatic channels regarding reducing the latter’s oil imports from Iran. The move reportedly came within the scope of Washington’s attempts to push Tehran to return to the negotiation table settled to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Yet, responding to a question asked on the issue, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chungying said, “We firmly oppose any unilateral sanction, and urge the US to remove the so-called ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ over third-party entities and individuals as soon as possible.”
