Iran more confident to save nuke deal: Official

Tehran: Following a meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Friday, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official expressed hope about saving the landmark Iranian nuclear deal after the US’ recent exit, media reports said.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that he is “more confident about preserving the nuclear deal” after the talks with five other parties to the deal on Friday, Xinhua reported.

“In the meeting all the member states in JCPOA unanimously expressed their commitments to the deal,” Araqchi was quoted as saying.

They also regretted the US withdrawal from the deal and announced their determination to adopt measures to preserve Iran’s interests as well as normalizing economic ties with Iran, he said.

Iran is waiting for the measures by Europe, Russia and China to safeguard his country’s interests under the historic deal after the US withdrawal, Araqchi was quoted as saying.

Over the next weeks, the negotiations will continue at different levels, and the Islamic republic will then decide whether to stay in the 2015 nuclear deal, said the Iranian diplomat.

On Friday, Araqchi met his counterparts from Europe, Russia and China to discuss the future of nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

—IANS