Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Possibility of EU Foreign Policy Chief’s Travel to Tehran
Some sources report the possibility of the EU’s foreign policy chief traveling to Iran in the coming days to discuss the resumption of nuclear negotiations. Iran’s Foreign Minister had previously expressed hope about the restart of negotiations.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported on Thursday, June 23, citing “informed Iranian sources” that Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, will “very likely travel to Tehran early next week” with the aim of discussing Iran’s nuclear file and resuming negotiations to revive the JCPOA.
According to these informed Iranian sources who requested anonymity, consultations have taken place in recent days between Iranian government officials and the EU’s Foreign Policy Commission to prepare the grounds for Borrell’s travel to Tehran.
Previously, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had reported a phone conversation between Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, and Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Saturday, June 19.
Informed Iranian sources also noted that “Josep Borrell and his deputy Enrique Mora, particularly in recent months, have conveyed messages between Tehran and Washington,” concluding that the EU’s foreign policy chief will likely carry American messages for Iranian government officials during his upcoming trip to Tehran.
The deputy EU foreign policy chief also posted a photo last night (June 23) of himself and Josep Borrell with Robert Malley, the US Special Envoy for Iran Affairs, at a dinner table in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Enrique Mora tweeted about the conversation of these three senior diplomats regarding JCPOA revival negotiations and wrote that during these discussions, Robert Malley emphasized his country’s commitment “to returning to the JCPOA.”
Amirabdollahian’s Hope for Resumption of Negotiations
On the same day, Iran’s Foreign Minister expressed hope in a press conference with his Russian counterpart in Tehran regarding the resumption of JCPOA revival negotiations “in the near future” and said: “Planning in this regard is on the agenda of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.”
Hossein Amirabdollahian did not provide further explanation about these “plans” but added: “I hope that with realism from the American side, we can reach the final point of agreement in the near future.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister also said on Thursday (June 2) in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart that Iran “is ready in good faith and seriously to achieve a lasting agreement.”
Iranian officials hold the US government responsible for delays in reaching a nuclear agreement to revive the JCPOA and say that the Islamic Republic is “ready to achieve a good, lasting and effective agreement.”
This comes as the thirteenth administration under Ibrahim Raisi has delayed negotiations and accelerated its nuclear program. Iran also refuses the necessary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in response to this agency’s questions. Many reports suggest that the Islamic Republic has never been as close to building an atomic bomb as it is today.
The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency on June 9 adopted a resolution against Iran with 30 votes in favor, three abstentions, and votes against from China and Russia, expressing its “deep concern” over Iran’s lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
This resolution was a response to unanswered questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency about the discovery of nuclear material at three undeclared sites in Marivan, Varamin, and Turquzabad and the unclear nature of their activities.
Negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, which was being held in Vienna, the capital of Austria, have been suspended since April of this year without reaching a conclusion.
Source: DW
