European Union top diplomat holds talks in Tehran to de-escalate tensions

In Iran, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell yesterday hold talks in Tehran on a mission aimed at lowering tensions over the country's nuclear programme. Borrell's two-day visit opened with a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, ahead of talks with President Hassan Rouhani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and a group of world powers has been crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of maximum pressure against Iran.

Tehran has



gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US brought the two countries to the brink of full-blown confrontation last month. The office of the EU's Foreign Affairs said, Borrell's mission aims to de-escalate tensions and seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi told that Tehran hoped Borrell's visit would help the European Union understand Iran's situation and prompt the bloc to show goodwill by taking serious measures.