EU optimistic on nuclear deal despite Iran leadership change
European Union negotiators are optimistic on the chances of reviving the nuclear deal with Iran, despite the election of Ebrahim Raisi as the country’s new president, a senior EU official said Saturday.
“We still think that the most likely scenario is an agreement. What I cannot tell you is when and [under] what conditions” said the senior official.
International negotiators have held six rounds of talks in Vienna to restore full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal which has been on life support since the Trump administration’s decision to pull out in 2018. The deal curbed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.
Negotiations were paused following the election of Raisi in June. He was sworn in this week to replace the Hassan Rouhani.
“They will come back the moment they have completed all the different steps in the new administration” the official said, including the submission of ministerial appointments to Iran’s parliament. “So my understanding is [that] we are talking about sometime at the beginning of September,” although that remains speculative.
In talks this week, Iran didn’t contest that negotiations will resume from whey were left off in June. There was no mention “of any specific change that it has been decided, or not,” the official told reporters.
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