On 29 July, officials from the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran met in Vienna in an extraordinary meeting to try to preserve the JCPOA. The agreement was first put at risk by the US’ withdrawal in 2018 and it is now in a critical situation due to the recent tensions in the Gulf. After the meeting, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the atmosphere was “constructive” and explained that all parties were still determined to save the deal. Chinese representative Fu Cong added that JCPOA stakeholders have expressed their strong opposition to the US unilateral imposition of sanctions. Despite these attempts to restore good relations between the parties, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani denounced the British call for a European-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz. This proposal came after Iranian authorities seized a British tanker in the Gulf, in reaction to the previous detention of an Iranian oil-vessel in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.