EU continues effort to resume Iran nuclear talks in Vienna

The efforts by EU High Representative Josep Borrell as the coordinator of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, and his team are continuing intense contacts with all the partners to resume the Vienna talks, an EU spokesperson said July 12.

"We hope that it will be possible to resume the Vienna talks as soon as possible because the time is not on our side and we need to move very fast in order to bring the JCPOA back to its full delivery," EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano told a news conference in Brussels, IRNA reports. 

Replying to a question on the recent arrest of three Iranian film directors in Iran, Stano said, "The issues of human rights are very important in our bilateral engagement with Iran." Besides the negotiations on Iran nuclear deal, the EU in parallel in bilateral track raises human rights issues with Iran, he added.

Former US President Donald Trump re-imposed financial and economic sanctions on Tehran after his withdrawal in 2018 from the nuclear deal, which was agreed by Iran and major powers in 2015.

The talks began in Vienna, Austria, in April 2021 with the participation of the remaining parties, France, Germany, the UK, Russia and China, as well as the European Union who is acting as the coordinator.

The negotiations in Vienna were paused in March due to outstanding differences between Iran and other western countries.