Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, said an EU envoy visited Tehran this week for talks that had “gone better than expected”.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell seeks a “middle way” to end the impasse to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers.
Time needed for Tehran to produce a nuclear weapon is down from about a year, Washington says.
Tehran's decision to move the facility comes as diplomatic efforts to restore Iran’s tattered nuclear deal appear stalled.
Iran has been engaged for a year in negotiations with France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China directly, and the United States indirectly in the Austrian capital of Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.
“Iran's research in peaceful nuclear fields will not depend on others' demands,” Raisi said, referring to Western efforts to prevent the country's nuclear progress.
The sides are discussing a "collateral" obstacle, namely Iran's demand to have the Revolutionary Guard removed from a US terror blacklist, the EU foreign policy chief said.
The two allies are determined that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says after meeting Israeli officials in Jerusalem.
The European Union's Josep Borrell says the deal is at "95 percent but the last five percent is critical," as EU coordinator for the nuclear talks, Enrique Mora, travels to Tehran to close gaps in the negotiations.
Return to 2015 nuclear deal remains uncertain and is not imminent, Washington says, despite optimism in recent weeks that indirect talks between Iran and US could soon produce an agreement.
The development enables resumption of talks that stalled after Moscow demanded assurances that sanctions over Ukraine won’t impact its ties with Tehran.
Iran has suspended talks with Saudi Arabia without providing a reason or a new date, but diplomats hope continued talks will ease tensions across the region.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2022 TRT World.