Iran will send a delegation to Vienna in the coming days to strengthen relations and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday.
“In the coming days, we will send a delegation from Iran to Vienna to begin talks on strengthening cooperation with the IAEA. There is consensus between (Chairman of Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad) Eslami and IAEA head Rafael Grossi on this,” the minister said during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, as quoted by the Iranian news agency Fars.
Amir-Abdollahian added that exchanges with all parties to the Vienna talks on the renewal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are continuing, despite “contradictory” statements by the United States.
“Despite some contradictory statements by US officials, the exchange of views continues, and the exchange of messages through the European Union coordinator regarding the rescheduling in the Vienna talks also continues,” the minister said.
The top Iranian diplomat also said he would discuss the situation around negotiations on the resumption of the JCPOA with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday.
“I will call Borrell in a few minutes to discuss the latest exchange of views and messages (on the JCPOA),” the minister added.
In 2015, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries comprised of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany as well as the European Union, signed an agreement – formally known as the JCPOA – that obligated Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and reduce its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief.
In 2018, then US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the JCPOA and reimposed comprehensive sanctions against Iran. Tehran responded with a gradual abandoning of its commitments under the nuclear agreement.
After Joe Biden succeeded Trump, the US and Iran both stated their readiness to return to the nuclear deal. Vienna has hosted several rounds of talks since April 2021, but the negotiation reached an impasse.
On October 31, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said that the US would not waste its time at present trying to revive the original 2015 nuclear agreement.
Source » urdupoint