Mogherini in Iran to discuss nuclear deal

ANKARA: Iran and the European Union have agreed to start talks on issues including confronting terrorism, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a news conference with the EU’s chief diplomat in Tehran on Tuesday.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrived for a one-day visit to discuss implementation of an agreement for Iran to curtail its nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions against the country, state TV reported.
“We have agreed to hold high-level talks between Iran and the European Union over different issues, including energy cooperation ... human rights, confronting terrorism and regional issues,” Zarif said after meeting her.
The nuclear agreement was reached on July 14 in Vienna between Iran and the United States, France, Russia, China, Britain and Germany. It is intended to end more than a decade-old standoff over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
The United States designates Iran and Syria as “state sponsors of terrorism” and Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization.”
Mogherini said implementation of the agreement “depends on political will, commitment and patience of all parties involved ... The deal has the capacity to pave the ground for wider cooperation between Iran and the West.”
“Regional and international cooperation with Iran is very important for us.”
Writing on the op-ed page of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, Mogherini said EU foreign ministers have tasked her with exploring “ways in which the EU could actively promote a more cooperative regional framework” in the wake of the Vienna deal.
“The whole Middle East is in turmoil. Sectarianism is on the rise. We need to restart political processes to end wars. We need to get all regional powers back to the negotiating table and stop the carnage,” Mogherini wrote.