Prague, 1 September 2022 (dpa/MIA) - EU foreign policy Josep Borrell said in Prague on Wednesday he was sure negotiations to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran could soon be successfully concluded. "To me it's clear that there is a common ground, that we have an agreement that takes into account, I think, everyone's concerns," he said in a press conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Efforts are under way to revive the 2015 Vienna agreement to set controls on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Tehran insists its nuclear research activities are solely for civilian use. The initial deal was struck in 2015, but fell apart a few years later during the US presidency of Donald Trump, who pulled out of the deal. EU negotiators have said a new version of the deal has been worked out and is only awaiting a yes or no from both sides. Borrell recently circulated compromise proposals for an agreement text among Iran and United States' negotiators, describing the response he received from both sides as reasonable. "I am hoping that in the coming days we are not going to lose this momentum and we can close the deal," Borrell said. In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden reiterated that Tehran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, according to the White House. Israel takes a critical view of the current negotiations with Iran. Among other things, the country is demanding stricter monitoring of Iran's nuclear programme and a restriction of its missile programme. Israel sees Iran as an existential threat. The US government on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism about negotiations with Iran. The National Security Council's communications director, John Kirby, said the US was confident it could achieve a restoration of the deal. The US administration believes it is closer now than it has been in recent weeks and months, in large part because Iran was willing to drop some of its demands that had nothing whatsoever to do with the agreement, Kirby said.