EU says Iran’s response to nuclear deal proposal is ‘reasonable’

OVIEDO, Spain

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Iran’s response to the proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear deal was “reasonable.”

Earlier this month, the EU submitted the “final text” for the deal aimed at unfreezing sanctions on Iran funds and oil exports in exchange for the country scaling back its nuclear ambitions.

“This is the current situation: I made a proposal that I believe was as balanced as possible. It was communicated to all parties, including the US and Iran. There was a response from Iran, which I considered reasonable. It was shared with the US. The US still hasn’t formally replied, but we’re awaiting that response. And we hope the US response will help us finish up the negotiation,” he said.

The American response has arrived late, as there was supposed to be a meeting in Vienna last week to discuss the Iran deal.

Borrell said “it’s possible,” however, that the US position will be revealed this week.

“The world would be a lot safer if we could make this deal work again,” said Borrell. “This deal worked well until President Trump unilaterally decided to abandon it. Iran was fulfilling the agreement.”

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani accused the US of “procrastination” in terms of responding to its comments on the deal.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the UK about matters including the negotiations with Iran and "joint efforts to deter and constrain Iran’s destabilizing regional activities,” according to a White House statement.