On Thursday 3 May, Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid, the political directors of France, Germany, Italy and the UK, and Iran's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari met in Rome for political consultations on regional issues.
Their discussions focused on the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen and were "productive", according to the EEAS. This meeting follows on from an initial one on the same subject, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that was held in February 2018.
"The participants agreed to meet again in this format in Brussels in the near future", the EEAS stated. According to the Iranian news agency, Mehr, the next meeting will take place in the second half of June, after Ramadan.
When asked about this meeting and its outcomes, a spokesperson for the European Commission, Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela, gave no further details.
These decisions come at a time when US President Donald Trump is due to decide – by 12 May – whether or not he will maintain the suspension of US sanctions against Iran, in connection with the nuclear agreement. Trump criticises the agreement for not taking account of Iran's role in the region or its ballistic missile activities. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)