EU says Iran nuclear deal talks will resume in Vienna on 29 November

Negotiations on getting the Iran nuclear deal back on track will resume on 29 November, in Vienna, the EU’s diplomatic service announced yesterday.

“The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will convene in a physical format on 29 November in Vienna,” the European External Action Service said in a written statement, referring to the official name of the Iran nuclear deal.

Representatives from China, Russia, France, the UK, and Germany will participate in the meeting to be chaired by Enrique Mora, the deputy secretary-general of the EU diplomatic service.

“Participants will continue the discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides,” the statement said.

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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who became Tehran’s chief negotiator in mid-September, said yesterday the date was set in a phone call with European Union mediator Enrique Mora.

The EU diplomacy has made significant efforts to get Iran and the US back to the negotiation table since the beginning of the conflict between the two countries.

The last round of negotiations on resuming talks between Tehran and Washington took place in Vienna in June.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany and the EU.

Under the agreement, Tehran has committed to limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes and, in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic sanctions against Iran.

However, the US, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to stop complying with the nuclear deal.