Iran, world powers meet to salvage nuclear deal

Vienna, May 25 (IANS) Senior officials from Iran and five major powers met in the Austrian capital on Friday to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal following the US' recent withdrawal from the agreement.

The meeting of officials from China, Russia, Germany, the UK and France with Iran was held in Vienna, where the pact was finalised in 2015. It is the first such meeting since US President Donald Trump dumped the nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on May 8 and moved to reimpose sanctions against Iran.

The sanctions will come into force on August 6, Efe news reported.

In a statement, head of the Iranian delegation and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi said that Iran would decide whether or not to stay in the nuclear pact after the meeting's intensive discussions.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano took part in the meeting and stated that Iran had till date complied with the terms stipulated in the nuclear agreement.

On Thursday, the IAEA, which oversees Iran's nuclear activities, confirmed in a report that the country's production and storage of enriched uranium and heavy water as well as access to its nuclear installations has thus far complied with the 2015 pact.

Quarterly meetings between Iran and the world powers had been held since the agreement entered into force in January 2016, but Friday's meeting was convened without the US.