BRUSSELS, 15 January 2022, (TON): EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday that a renewed deal with Iran on curtailing its nuclear programme remained possible as talks in Vienna advance in a “better atmosphere”.

He said after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers “we’re arriving at the end of a long process there’s a better atmosphere since Christmas before Christmas I was very pessimistic. Today I believe reaching an accord is possible.”

He said “a final deal could be concluded in the coming weeks.”

He added “I still maintain the hope that it would be possible to remake this agreement and have it function as it did before the American withdrawal.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman echoed that sentiment earlier this week, saying that efforts by “all parties” to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers had resulted in “good progress” during the Vienna talks.

But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who reiterated his view that the talks are progressing “much too slowly to be able to reach a result”.