EU top diplomat warns of more delay in Vienna talks
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has warned of more delay in resuming the Vienna talks over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal.
Borrell said in a tweet that he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the phone over urgent bilateral issues.
Borrell added that he and the top Iranian diplomat discussed the next steps aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA.
Borrell referred to the pause in the Vienna talks, saying it’s important to get going. He warned, “The more we wait, the more difficult it will be to conclude negotiations”.
Borrell and Amir Abdollahian spoke over the JCPOA on Friday.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry quoted Amir Abdollahian as pointing to Iran’s seriousness about reaching a strong and lasting deal in Vienna.
He said Tehran has the goodwill and necessary determination to reach an agreement.
The obstacle to a deal in Vienna is said to be the US insistence on keeping Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on its so-called terror list. Tehran has said the IRGC is a red line for the Islamic Republic and that any agreement in Vienna must guarantee to respect the country’s red lines.
Iran also says the US must guarantee that it will not withdraw from the nuclear deal like what Washington did unilaterally in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.