World powers gather in Vienna for Iran nuclear talks

World Today

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in Europe trying to rally support for the accord among its remaining signatories: China, France, Germany, Britain, and Russia.

World powers are gathering in Vienna, Austria, to discuss ways to salvage the Iran Nuclear Deal.

China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is there to show Beijing’s support. But despite international backing, the deal is far from secure.

CGTN’s Kate Parkinson filed this report from Vienna.

Follow Kate Parkinson on Twitter @kparkinsonuk

The Iranian nuclear deal was sealed in the Austrian capital of Vienna in 2015, ending a 12-year diplomatic standoff. Iran and ministers from six nations, led by the United States, announced that Tehran had agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some international sanctions.

However, in May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and announced he’d be reimposing high-level sanctions on Iran. Those sanctions are due to kick in August 2018.

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in Europe trying to rally support for the accord among its remaining signatories: China, France, Germany, Britain, and Russia. Ahead of this week’s talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed Beijing’s desire to uphold the deal.

“If this treaty can’t be upheld, then this doesn’t just hurt the interests of Iran, it also damages the peace in the Middle East and the credibility of the international world order. That’s why we need to think about how to ensure the survival of the deal,” he said.

European leaders and Russia have also said they are committed to the deal. However, despite political backing for the deal, the business world is wavering. Some foreign firms have already announced they’re going to stop doing business in Iran, in light of the looming imposition of sanctions.

Tehran has said it’s willing to stick to the terms of the deal. In return, it wants a concrete guarantee that there’s a plan in place to create a sanction-proof channel to keep money flowing into the country.