Iran Nuclear Deal Restoration Talks to Resume from 29th... Agreement Reached Between Iran and EU

Resumption After Over Four Months Since Negotiations Halted on June 20

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Iran and the European Union (EU) have agreed to resume negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on the 29th of this month in Vienna, Austria. The United States also welcomed the resumption of the nuclear deal restoration talks, signaling that negotiations, which had been suspended since June, are expected to intensify again. It is reported that if these talks fail again, the U.S. is likely to turn to military solutions rather than diplomatic ones, leading to speculation that Iran will engage more actively in the negotiations.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 3rd (local time), Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's deputy foreign minister and representative in the JCPOA restoration talks, announced on his Twitter that "the JCPOA restoration negotiations will resume on the 29th of this month in Vienna, Austria," and that he had reached this agreement with Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European Union External Action Service (EEAS).

The EEAS, which oversees the EU's foreign policy, also issued a statement immediately, saying, "A joint commission for the JCPOA restoration negotiations will be held in Vienna on the 29th, with representatives from the U.S., China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Iran attending," and emphasized, "The parties will continue discussions on the prospects of the U.S. returning to the JCPOA and on ways to ensure all parties fully and effectively implement the nuclear deal."

The U.S. State Department also expressed its welcome for the resumption of negotiations. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a press briefing that "the 7th round of JCPOA talks will resume on the 29th, with Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, leading the American delegation," and added, "The U.S. still hopes that all participants will achieve mutual benefits."

Thus, the JCPOA, which began in early April but had been unable to set a resumption schedule after Iran's unilateral suspension declaration in June, will now be fully resumed. According to CNN, earlier indications from the U.S. government about considering military options regarding the Iran nuclear issue and the possibility of a hardline shift have led to expectations that Iran will engage more actively in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and six countries: the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia, and China) plus Germany. The main content of the agreement limits Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions against Iran. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and reinstated most of the sanctions against Iran. In response, Iran has gradually reduced its compliance with the provisions of the nuclear deal as a form of protest.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.