PARIS/WASHINGTON: The new U.S. Iran envoy spoke with senior British, French and German officials on Thursday to explore how the European parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal see the issue, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
“It was to take stock of the dossier and to assess what our state of mind is,” a European diplomatic source said of newly named U.S. envoy Rob Malley’s conversation with the British, French and German foreign ministry political directors.
A second source familiar with the matter confirmed that the meeting had taken place but offered no details on its content.
The nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was struck by Iran and six major powers in 2015 and committed Iran to restricting its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief from the United States and others.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed U.S. sanctions, leading Iran to begin violating its terms.