EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Doha on Thursday in a bid to reach a negotiated solution on Iran’s nuclear program, as the deadline to reimpose sanctions nears.

Brussels said the meeting aimed to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), after France, Britain, and Germany triggered the so-called “snapback mechanism” in late August, allowing the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Tehran for non-compliance.

The deadline for reimposing sanctions expires in October, raising the stakes for diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed confrontation between Iran and the West.