EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (left) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (center right) hold talks in Vienna on July 6, 2018.

The deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was forged under the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2015 and scrapped by his successor, President Donald Trump, in May. With Iran looking to face stricter US sanctions, the foreign ministers of the EU and five other nations who signed the nuclear agreement met Friday in Vienna in an attempt to negotiate a viable framework in the absence of Washington. Reading an official statement from the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said the ministers "deeply regret" the U.S. departure from the agreement. She said the involved parties reconfirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal, calling it a key element of the global nonproliferation architecture and a significant achievement of multilateral diplomacy.