Tehran (IP) - The Foreign Minister of Iran and his Qatari counterpart discussed the Vienna talks to lift the anti-Iran sanctions.

Iran PressIran news: Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani consulted on the Vienna talks on Saturday. 

The two foreign ministers had a telephone conversation 10 days ago. 

The telephone conversation took place one day after European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the Vienna talks have been paused due to “external factors”.

“A pause in #ViennaTalks is needed, due to external factors. A final text is essentially ready and on the table. As coordinator, I will, with my team, continue to be in touch with all #JCPOA participants and the U.S. to overcome the current situation and to close the agreement,” Borrell wrote on his Twitter account.

The EU’s chief diplomat refused to specify external factors. 

Iran's international nuclear agreement or the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between the country and P5+1 countries (Russia, China, UK, Germany, France, and the US) in 2015, but the US scrapped it on May 18, 2018, re-imposing more sanctions on Iran.

The eighth round of sanctions talks began in Vienna on December 27, after a short break, between Iran and the P4+1 group and without the presence of the US.

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