EU coordinator’s talks with Iran ‘better than expected’: Borrell

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Germany, EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

Berlin, (Asian independent) European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief has said that EU coordinator for Iran nuclear talks Enrique Mora’s recent talks in Tehran had gone “better than expected”.

Speaking on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting in northern Germany, EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said “the negotiations were blocked and they have been de-blocked” and that means there is “a prospect of reaching a final agreement.”

Mora visited Tehran this week over the Vienna talks aimed to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the removal of the US-led sanctions. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties, including China, the UK, France, Russia and Germany, to revive the pact.

Also on Friday, Borrell said the EU would increase its military aid to Ukraine by 500 million euros ($520 million) to a total of 2 billion euros.