The foreign ministers of the five world powers ( Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) will meet with their Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, this Friday in Vienna. The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini , will also be present at this meeting.
According to an Iran Press report, diplomatic sources close to the negotiations are saying that foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet his counterparts from the 4+1 Group to discuss the future of the nuclear deal, (JCPOA ), and also the European Union's package of incentives and guarantees which is meant to 'persuade' Iran to remain within the landmark nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA ).
Central to the discussions in Vienna will be how the European Union can defend Tehran's interests within the JCPOA. Iranian diplomats will be pushing for the EU to come up with a concrete economic package of incentives and guarantees to make it worthwhile for Iran to remain within the nuclear accord (JCPOA ).
Senior Iranian officials have already warned the EU that if their economic package does not have sufficient incentives, or guarantees, or falls short of Iranian expectations, then Iran may decide to withdraw from the nuclear deal.
The future of the nuclear accord (JCPOA ) was seriously jeopardized when one of the parties to the multilateral agreement -- namely the United States -- decided to abrogate the agreement unilaterally, dishonouring its commitments and obligations under the accord. The remaining signatory states have scrambled to salvage the accord, but the Trump administration's hostility with regards to JCPOA, and re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, have put a dark cloud over the future of the agreement.
