World powers, Iran to meet in attempt to save nuclear deal

Representatives of five world powers met with Iranian diplomats Sunday in an effort to save the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal the U.S. withdrew from in 2018, according to the Associated Press.

Iranian representatives were joined by officials from Germany, France, Britain, China, Russia and the European Union in Vienna to discuss the matter, according to the news service.

{mosads}“I cannot say that we resolved everything,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told reporters following the meeting. But he added that all parties involved remain “determined to save this deal,” and that “the atmosphere was constructive, and the discussions were good.”

The meeting concluded with a general agreement to set up another meeting involving higher-level foreign ministers, but no date has been set, according to Araghchi and Fu Cong, the head of Chinese delegation.

Since President Trump announced the U.S. would pull out of the deal, Tehran has pressured its remaining signatories to offset the sanctions triggered by the withdrawal, according to the AP. Iran recently passed the limits on uranium stockpiling and enrichment imposed by the deal, and has said it could reverse those actions if the other parties develop economic incentives.

The European delegation urged Iran to resume full compliance, while Iran urged the European Union, France, Great Britain and Germany to hold up their end of the deal, according to the AP.

Iran has also pushed to activate a barter system developed by the Europeans under which they would be able to trade with Iran without violating U.S. sanctions, which Araghchi said was “not functioning yet, but it is in its final stages.”