EU top diplomat says little room for further Iran nuclear negotiations
Santander, Spain, Aug 24 (EFE).- Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell warned Wednesday that it would be “very difficult” to resume Iran nuclear talks after the summer if an agreement was not reached in the coming days.
“I don’t think there is room for many more negotiations,” Borrell said during an interview with Efe in the Spanish city of Santander, calling for the sealing of a deal that would make the world “a much safer place.”
“I am not going to be the one to set (temporary) limits. But I am aware that after the summer it will be very difficult to restart the negotiation again,” he added.
Borrell, the coordinator of the negotiations between Iran and world powers, believed the final agreement must be made in the context of the proposal he presented in the last round of talks held in Vienna in early August.
Borrell’s proposal is the latest attempt to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, from which former US president Donald Trump pulled out in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran.
For 16 months, Iran and the world powers have negotiated to finalize an agreement on reviving the landmark pact with Tehran but to no avail so far.
Borrell explained that the signatories have already agreed on a “very important part” to return to the deal, but acknowledged the remaining issues could sink the final agreement.
The pact, initially sealed in 2015, “is not the solution for everything”, but “if Iran is not a nuclear power, it is thanks to that agreement,” he stressed.
“What is evident is that the agreement is not going to solve all the problems. Iran worries the region not only because of its nuclear program but for many other reasons.
“The agreement is not the balm of Fierabras that fixes everything, but the world will be a much safer place and the citizens of Iran will be in better economic conditions.”
Borrell added that reaching an agreement now could benefit all the parties involved since it would allow Iran to return to the international oil market and become “an additional supply” for the Europeans.EFE
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