Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Possibility of the EU foreign policy chief's visit to Tehran
Some sources are reporting that the European Union's foreign policy chief may travel to Iran in the coming days to discuss resuming nuclear talks. The Iranian foreign minister had previously expressed hope for the resumption of talks.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper reported on Thursday, June 23, citing "informed Iranian sources" that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will travel to Tehran "most likely early next week" with the aim of discussing Iran's nuclear issue and restarting negotiations to revive the JCPOA.
According to these informed Iranian sources, who did not want to be named, consultations have been held in recent days between Iranian government officials and the European Union's Foreign Policy Commission to prepare for Borrell's trip to Tehran.
Previously, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a telephone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Saturday, June 19.
Iranian sources also noted that "Joseph Borrell and his deputy, Enrique Moura, have conveyed messages between Tehran and Washington, especially in recent months," concluding that the EU foreign policy chief will "probably carry the Americans' message to Iranian government officials" during his upcoming trip to Tehran.
The European Union's deputy foreign policy chief also posted a picture last night (June 23) of himself and Josep Borrell together with Robert Malley, the US special representative for Iran, at a dinner table in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
In this tweet, Enrique Mora announced the conversation between the three senior diplomats about the negotiations to revive the JCPOA, and wrote that during these talks, Robert Malley "reaffirmed his country's commitment to returning to the JCPOA."
Abdullahian expresses hope for resumption of negotiations
On the same day, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in a press conference with his Russian counterpart in Tehran, expressed hope for the resumption of negotiations to revive the JCPOA "in the near future" and said: "Planning in this regard is on the agenda of the Iranian Foreign Ministry."
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian did not elaborate further on these "plannings" but added: "I hope that with the realism of the American side, we can reach a final point of agreement in the near future."
The Iranian Foreign Minister also said in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday (July 21) that Iran is “ready to reach a lasting agreement with good faith and seriousness.”
Iranian officials blame the US government for the delay in reaching a nuclear agreement to revive the JCPOA, saying that the Islamic Republic is ready to "reach a good, sustainable, and effective agreement."
This is while the 13th government, headed by Ebrahim Raisi, has postponed the negotiations and accelerated its nuclear program. Iran also refuses to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in answering its questions. Many reports indicate that the Islamic Republic has never been closer to building a nuclear bomb than it is today.
On June 8, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution against Iran with 30 votes in favor, three abstentions, and negative votes 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 the International Atomic Energy Agency's unanswered questions about the discovery of nuclear materials at three undeclared sites in Marivan, Varamin, and Turqoozabad, and the lack of clarity about their various activities.
Negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which were underway in Vienna, the capital of Austria, have been stalled since April of this year without reaching a conclusion.
Source: DW
