Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met on Saturday in Vienna to “finalise” last July’s nuclear deal, Mogherini said on Twitter.
Her meeting with Zarif came ahead of an expected announcement by the UN atomic watchdog that Tehran has complied with the landmark agreement with major powers.
Once the International Atomic Energy Agency gives the green light, a raft of US, EU and UN sanctions on Iran will be lifted, including on its lifeblood oil exports.
Italy’s Mogherini speaks on behalf of the P5+1 group — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — that agreed the deal in Vienna on July 14 after two years of rollercoaster talks.
She and Zarif were expected to make a joint statement later today. US Secretary of State John Kerry was also due to arrive in the Austrian capital, diplomats said.