Iranian foreign minister, EU’s Borrell discuss lifting of sanctions against Iran over phone

By Haydar Sahin

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke by phone Monday on negotiations for the lifting of sanctions against Iran related to its nuclear activities.

The cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran were also evaluated during the phone call, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said earlier that a delegation was sent to Vienna to hold talks with officials of the UN nuclear watchdog in an effort to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, adding it was agreed that a delegation from the IAEA would come to Iran to continue the talks.

Indirect talks between Iran and the US on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, have remained stalled since August.

One of the key sticking points has been Iran's demand that the UN nuclear watchdog drop its investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran.

In September, a joint statement by France, Britain and Germany criticized Iran for its demand to close the probe, blaming it for “jeopardizing” the marathon talks.

In recent weeks, amid unrest in Iran over the death of a young woman in police custody after she was detained for violating Iran's strict dress code and claims that Iran is supplying drones to Russia, efforts to resume JCPOA talks have slowed down considerably.

Rob Malley, the US special envoy for Iran talks, said in late October that nuclear negotiations with Iran were not currently a priority for the Joe Biden administration.

"It’s really not our focus right now. It’s not on the agenda, because nothing has changed," Malley said.

Although Iranian officials have not ruled out the resumption of the talks, President Ebrahim Raisi said during his New York visit in September that Tehran has "found a path independent of any agreement."