US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met as parties to the 2015 accord at an EU-hosted event alongside the UN General Assembly.
European ministers called the meeting to examine ways to save a deal that US President Trump is poised to denounce, but Tehran and Washington remain far apart.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini put the bravest possible face on the encounter, stressing that Iran and the great powers agree the deal is “delivering.”
But Tillerson said the discussion had been a political one and that even if Iran is in “technical” compliance with the pact, “significant differences” remain.
“It was not a technical discussion, it was a political discussion of the political aspects,” Tillerson said.
“So we had a very open and candid exchange between all of the parties to that agreement,” he added, describing the meeting as “useful” but inconclusive.
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