Nuclear Policy – EU wants to continue nuclear negotiations in September

According to the European Union, the currently suspended nuclear negotiations with Iran could continue next month. According to information released on Saturday, Iranian representatives have given assurances in the past few days that talks in Vienna will resume. A senior EU official said the understanding is that this can be done immediately after the formation of the current government in Iran is completed. Think of a “beginning of September” time point.

Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, has been in full office since Thursday.

Negotiations have been underway in Vienna since April to salvage the 2015 Vienna Nuclear Agreement. Diplomatic efforts by contracting states China, Germany, France, Great Britain and Russia as well as the European Union are focused on the United States’ return to the agreements. This includes lifting sanctions on Iran. At the same time, Tehran must once again abide by the agreed terms. Negotiations stalled as a result of the presidential elections in mid-June. They will now continue with the new president’s main team.

According to the EU official, it is still not clear whether the new Iranian team will report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or, for example, the National Security Council. Hossein Amir Abdollahian is seen as a potential new foreign minister in Brussels. He previously held the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The talks are necessary because the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump and again imposed economic sanctions on Iran. Tehran then gradually expanded its nuclear activities in violation of agreements and restricted international nuclear inspections. Recently, the country began to produce uranium, which is slightly below the level of purity of materials suitable for nuclear weapons. (Abba)