The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Monday that he strongly believed a nuclear accord with Iran was “in sight” and urged world powers to reach a compromise in order to revive the beleaguered deal.
The JCPOA coordinator’s comments came after discussing the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a phone call.
Earlier, Iran had signaled it would dig in on key demands that have emerged as stumbling blocks in the talks aimed at bringing both the U.S. and Iran back into compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, even as it urged a quick resolution of the standoff.
Amirabdollahian told reporters Monday that a “good deal” within “the logical framework of negotiations” is within reach, and that his country is “in a hurry” to revive the accord. At the same time, he warned the U.S. and other Western powers to stop “messing around” with the language and show their “true intentions” by removing sanctions on Iran’s economy, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
Moscow has said the talks in Vienna have entered their “final stage,” but major disagreements remain over how the sides return to compliance with the agreement, and the Islamic Republic’s demands for a guarantee the U.S. won’t quit the deal again.
A revised accord would allow Iran to return to global oil markets in exchange for rolling back significant advancements in its nuclear activity.
On Sunday, Russia’s top envoy in the talks said “significant progress” had been made in the current round of negotiations. Moscow has tended to be upbeat about the talks while the U.S. and major European powers have urged Iran to ease up on some of its demands.
