In a meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Friday, Foreign Minister Zarif and the EU foreign policy chief held talks about a series of issues, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Pointing to the latest round of negotiations in Vienna on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Zarif emphasized that the US sanctions against Iran must be lifted as there is no possibility of renegotiation of the JCPOA.
Pointing to the Iranian nation’s “bitter experience” of the US’ breach of commitments under former president Donald Trump, Zarif expressed hope that the Vienna negotiations would yield results.
He further touched on the situation in Afghanistan, saying the differences between the Afghan government and other political currents have created major obstacles to the efforts for tackling insecurity in that country.
For his part, Borrell expressed hope for the fruitfulness of the Vienna negotiations on the revival of the JCPOA.
The EU diplomat also conducted a review of the latest developments in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Latin America.
The latest round of talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has begun in Vienna on April 6 between Iran and the remaining members of the nuclear deal, namely the UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany.
The US left the JCPOA in 2018 and restored the economic sanctions that the accord had lifted. Tehran retaliated with remedial nuclear measures that it is entitled to take under the JCPOA’s Paragraph 36.
The current negotiations examine the potential of revitalization of the nuclear deal and the US’ likely return to it.