Brussels, Sept. 6, (dpa/GNA) - Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said on Monday he is “less confident” about quickly restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran after reviewing its latest proposal.
“I’m sorry to say that I am less confident today … about the prospect of closing the deal right now,” said Borrell in Brussels, who is coordinating the negotiations.
Iran submitted last week its latest reply to a compromise proposal circulated by Borrell last month.
“I have to say that the last answer I got, if the purpose is to close the deal quickly, … it’s not going to help,” Borrell said.
He added that he will continue to consult with all negotiation partners.
Borrell circulated compromise proposals for an agreement text among Iran and United States’ negotiators last month, describing initial responses he received from both sides as reasonable.
A nuclear agreement with Iran was first struck in 2015 to set controls on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
The pact fell apart a few years later during the US presidency of Donald Trump, who pulled out of the deal and imposed tough sanctions on Iran. In turn, Iran began accelerating its nuclear programme.
Efforts have been under way for months to revive the agreement. Tehran insists its nuclear research activities are solely for civilian use.
The parties to the agreement are Iran, the EU, Germany and the five UN Security Council veto powers: the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China.
GNA