The US has said it is prepared to join EU-brokered talks with Iran, signalling a potential path to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price told US media that Washington would “accept an invitation” from the EU to meet Iran and other world powers “to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear programme”.
Senior EU diplomat Enrique Mora said he was prepared to issue an invitation.
“The #JCPOA at a critical moment,” he tweeted on Thursday about the accord. “Intense talks with all participants and the US. I am ready to invite them to an informal meeting to discuss the way forward.”
The UK, US, France, and Germany expressed their “shared objective of Iran’s return to full compliance with its commitments” in a joint statement calling on Iran to refrain from blocking inspections.
They also warned that Iran’s move to produce uranium metal and up to 20 per cent enriched uranium had “no credible civil justification”.
Tehran called for the lifting of US sanctions, with foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeting on Thursday that it would “follow ACTION w/ action.”
Former president Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reinstated sanctions. The US announced further sanctions last year.
His successor, Joe Biden has said that he would be willing to re-enter the Obama-era nuclear accord if Iran "returns to strict compliance".
