Optimism expressed about new Iran talks

LUXEMBOURG / TEHERAN — The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell declined to confirm on Monday that EU and Iranian diplomats would meet in Brussels on Thursday to try to revive the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, but said he was hopeful of a meeting soon.

Bloomberg News reported that Iran’s foreign minister gave the date on Sunday, citing an Iranian lawmaker. A senior EU official last week said that meetings were planned in Brussels, rather than Vienna, but gave no date.

“You never know, I am more optimistic today than yesterday,” Borrell said. “No confirmation yet, but things are getting better and I hope we will have preparatory meetings in Brussels in the days to come,” Borrell said in Luxembourg as he arrived for an EU foreign ministers meeting.

The news comes as Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Sunday said that “talks with the 4+1 Group will restart on Thursday in Brussels”, Member of Parliament Ahmad Alirezabeigui told the ultraconservative news agency Fars after a closed-door session with the minister.

The lawmaker was referring to four UN Security Council permanent members — Britain, China, France and Russia — along with Germany.

Iran and these five nations opened talks in Vienna in April with the European Union also attending, while the United States has taken part in indirect negotiations.

The US, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain struck an accord in Vienna with Iran on its nuclear program in 2015.

But then-president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions.

Since then, Teheran — which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only — has also retreated from many of its commitments under the accord.

US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to return to the agreement if the Islamic republic readheres to its nuclear commitments.

The Vienna talks aimed at reviving the deal were suspended in June, when Iran elected ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi as president.

Borrell had earlier said that he was “ready” to meet Iranian leaders in Brussels as part of efforts to revive the faltering deal.

EU envoy Enrique Mora was in Teheran on Thursday to press for a firm date for resuming talks.

Teheran said following the discussions, Iran and the EU had agreed to hold further dialogue in Brussels within days.

Another Iranian lawmaker, Behrouz Mohebbi Najmabadi, said on Twitter on Sunday that negotiations would resume “this week”.