Borrell, Iranian Foreign Minister Discuss Renewal Of JCPOA Talks At UNGA Sidelines

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared their readiness to resume negotiations on the nuclear deal in Vienna as soon as possible after meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a statement issued by the EU external action service on Wednesday

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared their readiness to resume negotiations on the nuclear deal in Vienna as soon as possible after meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a statement issued by the EU external action service on Wednesday.

"High Representative Borrell, as the Coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, underlined once again the great importance of a quick resumption of the Vienna talks to bring the JCPOA back to full implementation. The Iranian Foreign Minister assured of the willingness to resume negotiations at an early date," the statement said.

The two sides also discussed other areas of common interest, including cooperation on climate change, trade, security and migration, as well as the issues of human rights and Afghan refugees, according to the foreign service. Borrell noted that the European Union was willing to "engage actively with regional partners to address the challenges of the present situation" in light of the Afghan crisis, the press release stated.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said that Washington was ready to return to compliance with the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear agreement, if Tehran agrees to do the same.

The deal, signed by the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran, included the lifting of sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran's nuclear program as a guarantor of Tehran's non-receipt of nuclear weapons. In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reinstated tough sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced a phased reduction in its obligations under the agreement, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research, centrifuges and the level of uranium enrichment.

Talks are underway in Vienna to restore the JCPOA and lift US sanctions on Iran; the sixth round ended on June 20. The Russian permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the work to restore the deal was completed by almost 90%, with political aspects related to the US obligations remaining.

Iran said the new government, formed in August, will continue talks to restore the deal.