Iran Holds Talks With Europe on Nuclear Deal Revival: Kanaani

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani confirmed that his nation had held explicit negotiations with Europe on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions.

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He made the remarks at a weekly press conference, commenting on the talks between Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Enrique Mora, the European Union's deputy foreign policy chief, last week as well as a June 13 meeting between the Iranian diplomat and French, German, and British representatives.

Kanaani added that Bagheri Kani and the European representatives had discussed issues of common interest, including the removal of sanctions on Iran and the ways to achieve it.

"Iran is serious about achieving results in the negotiations. But we should wait and see if the other sides, including the United States, also have the necessary determination and seriousness to abandon their wrong policies and unconstructive approaches or not," he said, adding Iran would continue its diplomatic activities before favorable results are achieved.

Bagheri Kani, also Iran's chief negotiator for the nuclear talks, tweeted last week that he had held a "serious and constructive" meeting with Mora in Qatar. Their meeting followed a previous one on June 13 in Abu Dhabi, where the Iranian diplomat met with French, German, and British representatives to discuss issues of common interests.

The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed between Iran and world powers in July 2015.

Under the agreement, Iran accepted certain restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. However, the U.S. withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran reduced its nuclear commitments under the agreement.

The negotiations for the revival of the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the latest round in August 2022.