WASHINGTON: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss Iran and other issues including Russia and China in a Friday meeting with his British, French and German counterparts, a U.S. official said.
“During his session today with the E3, the Secretary will have an opportunity to discuss with some of his closest counterparts a number of shared challenges, including COVID, Iran, Russia, China, Burma, and climate,” the official said.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Blinken could be holding the meeting as early as Friday. The high-level conversation would be the latest step by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to seek a way to revive 2015 Iran nuclear deal abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
Trump, in leaving the deal, restored the U.S. sanctions the agreement had removed and placed more on Iran.
Iran has long denied any intent to develop nuclear arms.
Biden, who took office last month, has said that if Tehran returned to strict compliance with the 2015 pact, Washington would follow suit and use that as a springboard to a broader agreement that might restrict Iran’s missile development and regional activities.
Tehran has insisted that Washington ease sanctions before it resumed compliance, but Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hinted on Monday at a way to resolve the impasse over who goes first by saying the steps could be synchronized.
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