Iranian Officials to Meet European, Russian, Chinese Counterparts in Bid to Salvage Nuke Deal

Iranian officials will meet counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China on June 28 in Vienna in a last-ditch effort to save the 2015 nuclear deal, from which U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew last May. The news comes after Tehran had given the remaining parties to the accord until the end of the month to devise mechanisms to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions and allow for continued non-dollar trade with the Islamic Republic. Otherwise, the mullahs have threatened to exceed the limits imposed by the pact on the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium, and possibly resume producing to the substance to near-weapons grade levels. According to a statement by the European Union, the gathering next week will tackle “challenges arising from the…re-imposition of sanctions by the United States on Iran,” in addition to “recent announcements by Iran regarding the implementation of its nuclear commitments.” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini – who helped negotiate the 2015 accord – noted that Brussels expects Iran to remain “fully compliant” with its obligations, and vowed to “make sure that a [military] escalation is avoided” between Washington and Tehran.