PARIS: France's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a great deal still needs to be done to revive the Iran nuclear deal in a very short timeframe.
It said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran will need to negotiate an extension to their technical bilateral accord if Tehran does not return to compliance by the end of the initial deal.
The comments came a day after a top European Union diplomat said on Monday that negotiations in Vienna between world powers and Iran were “moving into a crucial stage” and that the next few weeks would be critical to saving the 2015 deal.
“I am optimistic, there is a window of opportunity that will stay open for a couple of weeks, (until) end of the month,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said.
“But a lot of work is needed, time is limited and I hope that the negotiations will enter into a phase of nonstop (talks) in Vienna,” he added following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
World powers have held high-level talks since April in Vienna, Austria aimed at bringing the US back into the deal, with both sides signaling a willingness to work out the major stumbling blocks.
