"You know, Austria deeply regrets that the US withdrew from the JCPOA and regrets the developments that followed, such as the reinstatement of the US sanctions on Iran, which indirectly affect European and, particularly, Austrian companies," he told a joint press conference following the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.
Van der Bellen also said that he had discussed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Russia with Putin.
On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. The agreement was signed in 2015 to curb the nuclear development of Tehran in exchange for lifting the UN Security Council sanctions, as well as the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran by the US and the EU. In November, the American anti-Iran sanctions were reinstated, which include the ban on Iranian oil purchases.
MNA/TASS