US envoy to Iran holds talks with GCC officials

SMA NEWS – WASHINGTON

The US envoy to Iran held talks on “regional security” with officials from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday, before heading to Vienna.
“Good discussion this morning with our GCC partners regarding the status of JCPOA talks and regional security,” said Robert Malley, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
“Heading back to Vienna for the next round of talks toward our objective of a mutual return to JCPOA compliance,” Malley added.

World powers resumed high-level talks in Vienna on Tuesday focused on bringing the United States back into the nuclear deal with Iran.
The US is not at the table because it unilaterally pulled out of the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who restored and augmented American sanctions in a campaign of “maximum pressure” to try and force Iran into renegotiating the pact with more concessions. President Joe Biden wants to rejoin the deal, however, and there is a US delegation in Vienna taking part in indirect talks with Iran, with diplomats from the other world powers acting as go-betweens.