Nuclear deal parties approach Iran through Qatar to revive talks: Tehran

Tehran received messages from other parties through Qatar aimed at resuming the stalled talks on the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran's foreign minister has said. 

Hossein Amirabdollahian made the remarks during a joint press conference in the Iranian capital with his Qatari counterpart Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. 

He thanked the Qatari government for its efforts in bringing all parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as Iran nuclear deal, back to their commitments in order to salvage the deal. 

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The marathon talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers remain stalled since August last year due to key disagreements between Iran and the US. 

Recent protests in Iran and reports regarding Tehran's supply of drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict have exacerbated tensions between the two sides, with US officials publicly saying the nuclear talks are no longer on the agenda. 

The top Qatari diplomat, for his part, said he came to Tehran carrying messages from the US, adding that it provided a "good opportunity" to solve problems that are impeding the revival of the agreement. 

The two officials also discussed bilateral and regional issues, Amirabdollahian said, including "development of commercial and economic cooperation" and removal of obstacles. 

The Iranian foreign minister stressed that Iran has "always welcomed regional dialogue" to ensure "strong and stable" cooperation with all regional countries.

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