Iranian, Austrian FMs Meet in Tehran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, on Sunday morning held the first round of their talks in Tehran on issues of mutual interest.
During the meeting, Zarif and Schallenberg praised the close relations between Tehran and Vienna and called for further efforts to cement the ties.
The two top diplomats also exchanged views about the latest efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the non-commitment of the European parties to the international accord.
The second round of talks between the two will begin later today after the Austrian delegation’s meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The trip is in connection with the European Union’s efforts to mediate the nuclear dispute between Iran and the US, according to Austria’s German-language daily newspaper Die Presse.
In remarks last month, Schallenberg had said, “When the belligerents aren’t willing to approach the negotiating table, we can bring the negotiating table to them.”
In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear deal.
Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal – France, Britain and Germany – have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.
The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal.
Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.