France on Friday urged Iran to take advantage of a visit by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to try and conclude a nuclear deal, while it remained possible.
“We are ready to reach a conclusion on this deal and we urge Iran to take advantage of this diplomatic opportunity to conclude it now, while it still remains possible,” said a statement from the French foreign affairs ministry.
EU politician Borrell will visit Iran from Friday to Saturday to try to urge Tehran to seal an agreement to revive the nuclear deal with world powers signed in 2015, which the United States withdrew from but is now seeking to save.
Read more: Iran: Nuclear talks are still ongoing
Called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and struck by Iran and six major powers, Tehran limited its nuclear program to make it harder for it to get a bomb in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
Another statement. At this rate, one has to ask what is the point of these repetitive pleas? All statements and zero action does not move decision-making in Tehran.https://t.co/057iGVcnYH
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) June 24, 2022
Borrell will meet Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Tehran for its part said its focus was on sanctions relief, not directly mentioning the nuclear deal.
“Bilateral relations, regional and international issues, as well as the latest status of sanctions lifting will be discussed during the visit, which is part of the ongoing consultations between Iran and the European Union,” ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
Read more: Iran warns IAEA any restriction in resolution may affect nuclear talks
The revived deal seemed near in March but talks were thrown into disarray in part by a dispute over whether the United States should remove Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards from its Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO] list.
Reuters with additional input by GVS News Desk