The talks are intended to revive the Vienna talks intended to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and lift sanctions against Iran.

Negotiations to restore the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), began in April 2021. However, the talks have been on hold since March. The negotiating partners say most technical issues have been resolved and it is time for Iran and the U.S. to take political decisions.

Prior to his travel to Tehran on Friday night, Borrell tweeted, “I am travelling to Tehran, as coordinator of the JCPOA, to meet my counterpart Amir Abdollahian and other relevant Iranian authorities.”

Borrell is accompanied by his deputy Enrique Mora.

Iran has been insisting that the U.S. should lift all sanctions that have been imposed since former U.S. president Donald Trump abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018, delist the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from foreign terrorist organizations and give assurances that it will not quit the agreement again.

In his tweet, Borrell said, “Diplomacy is the only way to go back to full implementation of the deal and to reverse current tensions.”

On Thursday, Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that the Vienna talks would be resumed soon.