Iran FM hails 'good start' in talks with EU to save nuclear deal

It's been a good start to EU talks designed to save the Iran nuclear deal, the country's foreign minister says.

Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Source: AP

Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday hailed talks with the EU to try to find a way to rescue the Iran nuclear deal after the US pulled out as a "good start".

"I believe it's a good start. We're not there, we're beginning the process," Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters after meeting his French, British and German counterparts in Brussels.

The three European signatories to the landmark 2015 deal are leading international efforts to preserve it after US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions lifted under the accord.

Tehran has said it wants guarantees that the economic benefits the deal brought will continue if it is to stick with it and Zarif warned he expected to see progress "within the next few weeks".

The EU has said it will stick to the deal as long as Iran does, but the Islamic republic has warned it is ready to resume "industrial-scale" uranium enrichment if it is not satisfied.

The deal, painstakingly negotiated over more than a decade, lifted punishing economic sanctions on Iran in return for it abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

Trump cast the agreement into jeopardy a week ago when he abruptly pulled the US out.





Share
Published 16 May 2018 6:57am
Updated 16 May 2018 9:43am
Source: AFP, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world