Iran: Vienna nuke talks in ‘better direction’ in 8th round

In this file photo taken on Oct 6, 2021,
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart following their meeting in Moscow.
(KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / POOL / AFP)

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Tuesday that the ongoing eighth-round Vienna talks on the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal are in a "better direction" than previous rounds.

The Iranian minister made the remark in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera English news channel, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.

"Our understanding is that the negotiations are in their right direction" thanks to the initiatives presented by Iran at the negotiating table, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said

"Our understanding is that the negotiations are in their right direction" thanks to the initiatives presented by Iran at the negotiating table, Abdollahian said.

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The initiatives help the other sides, if they have serious intention and will, to reach a good agreement with Iran, he added, describing a good deal as one with which all parties are satisfied.

To conclude such an agreement, all signatories must resume fulfilling their commitments under the deal, the top Iranian diplomat noted.

However, Iran has yet to see "serious willpower" from the United States and three European parties, said Abdollahian.

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"We do not yet see new initiatives from the West … They do not seem ready to return to their commitments quickly, so we feel that the West is still dragging its feet," he explained.

Iran and the five other remaining signatories to the Iranian nuclear pact, namely China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, have held rounds of talks in Vienna, capital of Austria, with the United States indirectly involved, in a bid to revive the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Washington abandoned in 2018 under former president Donald Trump.

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The talks have mainly focused on removal of US sanctions against Iran and the return of Washington to the JCPOA.