Iranian foreign minister asks Europe to co-ordinate US return to nuclear deal

Javad Zarif calls on EU foreign policy chief to take role in deciding what Tehran and Washington must do before talks

 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 29, 2019. Reuters 

Iran's foreign minister has asked the EU to co-ordinate a return of Washington and Tehran into a nuclear deal, after a standoff on who will act first.

President Joe Biden has voiced support for returning to the accord, from which his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew, but has insisted that Tehran first return to full compliance by reversing measures it took to protest against reimposed sanctions.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who had demanded an end to sanctions before Iran acts, offered a way forward.

"You know clearly there can be a mechanism to basically either synchronise it, or coordinate what can be done," he told CNN International.

Mr Zarif said that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell should play a role as co-ordinator of the Iran deal, which included Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Mr Borrell should lay out "the actions that are needed to be taken by the US and the actions that are needed to be taken by Iran", Mr Zarif said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken  last week warned that the return of the nuclear deal would "take some time" as Iran first needed to "come back into compliance".