The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Wednesday, March 24, that he had discussed the problems of Iran and Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the talks in Brussels.
In particular, according to him, the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program was discussed, Interfax reports.
“The fact that Iran is moving away from its obligations under this agreement remains, of course, a source of concern. We fully support the work of the IAEA, ”Borrell said.
According to him, Blinken assured that “the United States is willing to work together with the EU to bring the United States back to this agreement with Iran.”
Borrell also said that the parties raised the issue of Afghanistan.
“We want to strengthen our cooperation in strengthening the peace process to make sure that the gains of democracy are preserved and to set the country on a path of long-term prosperity,” Borrell said.
Earlier on March 24, Blinken said that Tehran must demonstrate its willingness to cooperate within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program. The secretary of state noted that the previous evening he held consultations with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Great Britain, which, according to him, confirmed the commonality of approaches regarding Iran.
In early March, US President Joe Biden extended the sanctions regime against Iran for another year until March 15, 2022. Blinken admitted that Washington could ease sanctions against Tehran, but only on the condition that the Iranian authorities return to the JCPOA, the purpose of which is to resolve the crisis around Tehran’s nuclear developments.
The JCPOA, involving the lifting of sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran’s nuclear program, was signed in 2015. However, in May 2018, the US pulled out of the deal and reinstated tough sanctions against Tehran. Iran, in turn, announced in 2019 a phased reduction of its obligations under the agreement.