One of the European Union's senior diplomats, Enrique Mora, was in Tehran Oct. 14 to promote restarting the long-halted negotiations on restoring the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian media outlets reported that Mora sat down with Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri to discuss a range of issues including Tehran-EU ties, the Afghanistan crisis and the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.  

Prior to his arrival, Mora announced that his trip came at a "critical point in time" and that he would "raise the urgency" on resuming the Vienna talks, which were meant to bring the United States back into the deal and Iran back into full compliance. After six rounds in the Austrian capital, however, the meetings were adjourned in June, coinciding with a moment of transition in Iran as hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi took the helm, replacing his moderate predecessor Hassan Rouhani.

The transition in Tehran has meant the departure of the nuclear negotiating team led by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was one of the architects of the 2015 accord.