Nuclear deal: Iran, EU plan talks in Brussels

Washington losing patience with Tehran over absence of firm date for resumption

Iran and the EU agreed yesterday to hold further dialogue in Brussels aimed at resuming talks on a faltering 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic republic and world powers, Tehran said.

The EU envoy charged with coordinating talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, Enrique Mora, met with Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri for several hours, as Western powers lose patience with Tehran over the continued absence of a firm date for resuming talks.

Dialogue on the deal has been stalled since June.

“At the end of this meeting, the two parties agreed to continue dialogue on questions of mutual interest in the coming days in Brussels,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement, which noted that Mora said the EU was “ready to collaborate with Iran and the other parties”.

‘Cruel sanctions’

Mora’s trip to Tehran came with pressure mounting from EU countries as well as the US for a swift resumption of talks on Washington’s return to the agreement. Ahead of the meeting with Mora, Bagheri, in charge of the nuclear file for Iran, tweeted that the “removal of cruel sanctions” would be on the agenda.

Talks were held earlier this year in Vienna between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — with the US taking part indirectly. The talks have been on hold since a June election in Iran led to a change of president.