Qatar Emir, EU envoy to Tehran discuss nuclear program

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the European Union’s Coordinator for the Iran Nuclear Negotiations, Enrique Mora, said in Tehran today that they were working to move the talks forward with the revival of the 2015 agreement.

The Emir of Qatar arrived in Tehran today and met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, while Mora had contacts with Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri for a second consecutive day, according to the official Irna news agency.

Negotiations that began a year ago in Vienna between Tehran and the major powers to revive the 2015 agreement aimed at overseeing Iran’s nuclear program have been deadlocked since March.

The deal is collapsing following the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018, which, under then-President Donald Trump, reinstated sanctions that have strangled Tehran’s economy, in response to its gradual withdrawal from the deal.

“Qatar has always viewed the negotiations in Vienna positively,” Sheikh Tamim said in a joint interview with Rice, adding that “the only solution to any dispute is dialogue and peaceful means.”

“We urge all parties” to reach an agreement that is “fair” to all, he added.

Rice did not address the nuclear issue at a news conference, but warned that “there would be no foreign intervention, including from the West”, which “would harm regional security”.

Ayatollah Khamenei told the Emir of Qatar that conflicts in the region, such as those in Syria and Yemen, could be resolved through a regional dialogue without “foreign involvement,” according to a statement from his office.

“Saving the agreement”

A close ally of Washington, Qatar also has close ties with Iran.

“It’s our duty to continue to advise Iran, to speak to it and to invite it to participate in this dialogue in a positive way, as well as the United States and the West,” said Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abderrahman. Al-Thani, who is also visiting Tehran.

“All parties must show flexibility in these negotiations to find a solution that will ultimately be in the region’s interest,” the Qatari government said in a statement.

The Iranian president had visited Qatar in February, on his first visit to an Arab Gulf country.

In parallel with the Qatari emir’s talks with Raisi, Mora continued his negotiations with Bagheri, according to the Irna agency.

His role is to “do everything possible to save the deal,” said EU spokesman Peter Stano. Mora “is in Tehran to promote these talks, to be able to return to Vienna and conclude them in a positive way.”

On Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the Financial Times that he was looking for a “middle way” to remove obstacles that threaten to end negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

Source: Capital

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