Iran replied to the European Union’s latest effort to salvage the nuclear accord, with Iranian media reporting that the response was sent to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell. The semi-official outlets indicated that Tehran had voiced its views on the remaining issues to be resolved in the talks. In Tehran’s view, three points remain contentious, and the United States has shown some flexibility on these areas, though Tehran insists that any compromise must be reflected in the final text. The third outstanding issue concerns guarantees for settlement, an essential element cited by Iranian officials.
The discussions involve Iran’s indirect talks with Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and the United States, with the broader objective of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement that placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the U.S. decision under the Trump administration to abandon the deal and reimpose economic sanctions accelerated steps by Iran toward expanding its nuclear activities in subsequent years.
Over the past sixteen months, world powers and Iran have pursued a revival of the agreement, but progress has remained elusive. In the latest round of negotiations held in Vienna from August 4 to August 8, the EU proposed a potential path to closing the deal, presenting a draft that would align the remaining texts with the broader political commitments. Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson outlined that Iran would respond to the EU’s most recent proposal, and the indicators from Iranian officials suggested a sense that an agreement could be within reach and ready to be signed, contingent on certain conditions being met.
Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian noted that Tehran would answer the EU’s latest proposal, and he signaled openness to concluding a comprehensive agreement, provided there is necessary flexibility from the United States. This stance reflects a desire for a balanced text that preserves Iran’s core interests while offering the assurances sought by Western partners.
Amid these diplomatic efforts, regional and international tensions have also featured in recent weeks. The strained relationship between the West and Iran has been complicated by landmark events in Western cultural discourse, including controversies surrounding Salman Rushdie’s 1989 fatwa and the long-standing history of tensions associated with Iran’s leadership. Additionally, the United States has recently accused a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of involvement in an assassination plot against a former U.S. national security adviser, underscoring the broader security dimensions surrounding the negotiations.