EU Foreign Policy Chief Heading To Tehran In Effort To Revive Nuclear Talks

European Union foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell is set to travel to Tehran on Friday for a surprise visit that could breathe new life into stalled talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Borrell was due to arrive in the Iranian capital at night to meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

“Diplomacy is the only way to go back to full implementation of the deal and to reverse current tensions,” Borrell tweeted as the EU confirmed his two-day trip in a statement.

News of his previously unannounced visit comes after Amir-Abdollahian said last week that Iran still believed the negotiations could succeed.

“The visit, which is part of ongoing consultations between Iran and the European Union, will focus on bilateral relations, some regional and international issues, as well as the latest status of negotiations to lift sanctions,” said a statement from Khatibzadeh.

News of the previously unannounced visit comes after Amir-Abdollahian said last week that Iran still believes the negotiations can succeed.

The talks in Vienna, which began in April last year, aim to return the United States to the nuclear deal, including through the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and to ensure Tehran’s full compliance with its commitments.

The negotiations have been stalled since March amid differences between Tehran and Washington, most notably due to a demand by Iran to remove its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from a US terror list. Reports earlier this week indicated that Tehran may be willing to drop the demand that Washington delist its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp as a terrorist group, what emerged as a key sticking point in talks.

Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday said Iran was “serious” about reaching an agreement in the negotiations.

“The nuclear negotiations train has reached difficult stops as they near the end,” he said.