Seoul diplomat holds phone talks with U.S., EU negotiators of Iran nuclear deal

SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's vice foreign minister held back-to-back phone talks Friday with the top negotiators of the United States and the European Union involved in discussions aimed at restoring a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, his office said.

First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong had separate phone conversations with U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley and EU mediator Enrique Mora to share the latest progress in negotiations to revive the nuclear accord called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the ministry said in a release.

The latest round of the talks was held in Austria's capital of Vienna in early August after a five-month hiatus, and the EU put forward a "final text" of the draft decision earlier this week. The deal's other signatories include France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia.

During the phone talks, Cho reaffirmed Seoul's support for restoring the JCPOA and expressed hope that an agreement could help resolve South Korea's pending issues related to Iran, the ministry said.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Teheran remain frayed over US$7 billion in Iranian funds locked in two Korean banks under U.S. sanctions, which were reimposed after then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from the nuclear accord. Tehran has long called on Seoul to release the funds.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)