Iran nuclear deal talks halted by ‘external factors,’ EU diplomat says

Vienna, Mar 11 (EFE).- Negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal came to a temporary halt due to “external factors” just as an agreement was near, the European Union’s top diplomat said Friday.

Josep Borrell added in a statement posted to his official Twitter that a “final text is essentially ready and on the table.”

He added that he would continue to coordinate with signatories of the deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which includes Iran plus the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and Germany.

While Borrell did not comment on the “external factors” that halted the deal, it comes at a time when Russia is facing harsh sanctions from the West in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Penned in 2015, the Iran nuclear deal saw Tehran strip back its atomic program in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions.

Its survival hung by a thread when, in 2018, former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact and slapped fresh sanctions on Iran.

The Iranian regime, in turn, began to ignore parts of the agreement, including clauses that placed limits on uranium enrichment. EFE

as/jt