EU says Iran deal parties trying to salvage deal, not ready to trigger dispute mechanism

The remaining parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are not yet prepared to trigger the accord’s dispute-resolution mechanism over Iran’s decision to reduce its compliance to protest crippling US economic sanctions, the European Union foreign policy chief said Monday.

The cautious response by the five world powers that remain in the deal after the Donald Trump administration’s withdrawal last year is testament to their assessment that Iran is reacting only after the United States in May imposed a virtual blockade on Iranian oil exports even while it has fully complied until now with the accord. It comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had granted his Iranian counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a limited visa, restricting his movements to attend United Nations-related meetings in New York this week.