LUXEMBOURG/WASHINGTON: The EU will not hold talks in Brussels on Thursday with Iran on restarting negotiations over the country’s nuclear deal, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said, contradicting a declaration by Tehran.
“I heard that someone was convinced that next Thursday was going to be a meeting — no,” Josep Borrell said Monday after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
“But we made clear to the Iranians that time is not on their side, and it is better to go back to the negotiation table quickly.”
His remarks came after Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the country’s lead nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri, would go to Brussels for discussions Thursday.
The 2015 pact with world powers limited Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief, but was hit by the withdrawal of the US under former president Donald Trump in 2018.
The EU, which acts as coordinator for the deal, has been seeking to restart talks aimed at reviving it.
Negotiations got under way in Vienna in April after Trump’s successor President Joe Biden signaled a willingness to come back on board and lift sanctions imposed by Trump.
But the talks have been suspended since June, when ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of Iran.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Ned Price called on Iran to resume the talks on reviving the accord “as soon as possible.”
He said the US does not think talks in Brussels are necessary before the resumption of indirect negotiations with Iran.
“To be clear, we do not think it is necessary,” Price said when asked about the possibility of a meeting in Brussels.
“The destination we seek is in Vienna, not an intermediate step in Brussels,” Price told reporters, adding the US, its allies and partners involved in the Iran deal agreed that the indirect talks in Vienna “should resume as soon as possible.”
“There is no daylight with our partners. There is no disagreement that a mutual return to compliance remains in our interests.”
Tehran has repeatedly said in recent weeks that it is seeking to return to the negotiations soon in Vienna, but has set no date for doing so amid growing impatience from the other parties.
Borrell insisted he remains willing to meet with Iran’s representative bilaterally “if they need some clarifications” before restarting talks in Vienna.
“I will do because it is my duty, and my will is to do my best in order to restore negotiations as soon as possible. But there is nothing concrete about it,” he said.
The US has participated only indirectly in the Vienna talks, and Washington insists Iran must return to its nuclear commitments that it has been rolling back.
(With AFP and Reuters)
EU says we are at a critical point in time for the Iran nuclear deal
https://arab.news/g5wu9
EU says we are at a critical point in time for the Iran nuclear deal
- US says ‘intermediate step’ of meeting in Brussels not necessary for Iran talks
Israel’s Supreme Court suspends govt move to shut army radio
- Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station.
In a ruling issued late Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the suspension was partly because the government “did not provide a clear commitment not to take irreversible steps before the court reaches a final decision.”
He added that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the suspension.
The cabinet last week approved the closure of Galei Tsahal, with the shutdown scheduled to take effect before March 1, 2026.
Founded in 1950, Galei Tsahal is widely known for its flagship news programs and has long been followed by both domestic and foreign correspondents.
A government audience survey ranks it as Israel’s third most listened-to radio station, with a market share of 17.7 percent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged ministers to back the closure, saying there had been repeated proposals over the years to remove the station from the military, abolish it or privatise it.
But Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is facing dismissal proceedings initiated by the premier, has warned that closing the station raised “concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
She added that it “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Galei Tsahal broadcasts “political and divisive content” that does not align with military values.
He said soldiers, civilians and bereaved families had complained that the station did not represent them and undermined morale and the war effort.
Katz also argued that a military-run radio station serving the general public is an anomaly in democratic countries.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had condemned the closure decision, calling it part of the government’s effort to suppress freedom of expression ahead of elections.
Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2026, and Netanyahu has said he will seek another term as prime minister.
