The EU’s coordinator for talks to restore the Iran nuclear deal, Enrique Mora, said he was hoping to close gaps in the negotiations during his talks in Tehran on Sunday.
“Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalks on the #JCPOA,” Mora tweeted ahead of his trip. “We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake.”
The EU diplomat, who coordinates talks between Iran and the US, is scheduled to meet Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri on Sunday.
US officials have been more cautious in their assessment of efforts to revive the accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US was still pursuing talks on Iran’s nuclear program but will work with allies to increase pressure on Iran if diplomacy fails.
Substantial progress has been made in resolving several issues necessary for Washington to come back to the deal “on a compliance- for-compliance basis,” Sullivan said aboard Air Force One en route to Poland with President Joe Biden.
“There still are issues left. There still is work to be done,” he added.
“We are still seeking a diplomatic outcome here that puts Iran’s nuclear program back in a box. Of course, if diplomacy doesn’t succeed, then we will work very closely with our international partners to increase the pressure on Iran.”
Sullivan spoke as Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the country’s Revolutionary Guard accepted the idea of continuing to be sanctioned by the US if it meant the restoration of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The minister’s remarks appeared timed for Mora’s visit.
Speaking in Qatar, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said Iran and world powers were “very close” to an agreement on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.