Saving nuclear deal ‘on track’

EFFORTS to save the nuclear deal after the abrupt US withdrawal are on the right track, Iran’s foreign minister said yesterday as he began talks with European powers in Brussels.

Mohammad Javad Zarif met EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini ahead of evening talks with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany – the three European signatories to the 2015 landmark deal which are scrambling to preserve it.

Teheran has warned it is preparing to resume industrial-scale uranium enrichment without any restrictions unless Europe can provide solid guarantees that it can maintain the economic benefits it gained from the nuclear agreement despite the United States re-imposing sanctions.

Zarif gave an upbeat assessment after a “good and constructive” meeting with Mogherini.

“I believe we’re on the right track to move forward to ensure that interests of all the JCPOA remaining participants, particularly Iran, will be preserved and guaranteed,” he said.

The deal’s official name is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

But European diplomats have sought to play down expectations of yesterday’s meeting, stressing the enormous challenge of finding a way around US sanctions punishing foreign businesses trading with Iran, which have global reach.

The European Union insists the deal is working, pointing to repeated UN inspections verifying the Islamic republic’s compliance with its side of the bargain.

EU leaders aimed to show a united front on preserving the Iran deal when they meet for a pre-summit dinner in Sofia today, officials said.