Top EU diplomat holds talks in Iran

BRUSSELS

The European Union wants to keep the Iranian nuclear deal alive, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.

Josep Borell’s remarks came during his visit to Iran where he met with the country’s President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

The aim of the visit was “to build trust” and “to increase the stability and security in the region” after last month’s “tragic events”, Borrell said at a news conference after his meetings in the capital Tehran.

Early January saw a dramatic surge of confrontations between the U.S. and Iran following the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike outside Baghdad's airport on Jan. 3.

Following the killing, Iran announced that it would no longer comply with any commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal signed with several world powers, which the U.S. had already left in 2018.

Acting on behalf of the EU, Borrell is currently a mediator in the process, which is supported by all EU foreign ministers.

The EU foreign policy chief admitted that there were no recent developments concerning the nuclear deal.

Borrell will travel to Washington on Friday.