Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani leaves the Palais Coburg, venue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) meeting that aims at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna, Dec 27, 2021. (ALEX HALADA / AFP)
TEHRAN – Iran's chief nuclear negotiator will travel soon to Doha to negotiate the lifting of sanctions against Iran, Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.
"Ali Bagheri Kani will travel to Qatar on Tuesday," the news agency cited an informed source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying.
Robert Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, is expected to arrive in Doha on Monday, according to Western media reports.
Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA to revive the deal, but the talks have been suspended since March over "political" differences between Tehran and Washington.
READ MORE: Iran says success of 'good nuke talks' hinges on sanctions removal
Earlier on Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry reported that "indirect" talks between Iran and the US aimed at removing US sanctions will resume this week.
What we will do in the next round of talks is not about the nuclear dimensions, but about a few issues concerning the lifting of sanctions.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, Spokesman, Foreign Ministry
“I confirm that there has been an agreement in content, form and subject matter" of the next round of negotiations between Iran and the US, which are the extension of previous talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna, over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said during his weekly press conference.
Concerning the recent visit by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to the Iranian capital of Tehran, Khatibzadeh said, "we hope that Borrell's messages (from the US) will be implemented in practice as well”, while expressing Iran's "distrust" of Washington.
Iran is waiting to see whether the Americans will drop the "legacy" of former US President Donald Trump, he said.
"What we will do in the next round of talks is not about the nuclear dimensions, but about a few issues concerning the lifting of sanctions," he said.
Khatibzadeh said nothing would be added to the already-agreed-upon points in the Vienna talks.
Negotiations will be held "indirectly" with the United States over differences. Now the "ball is in Washington's court, and if they come with a reply, an agreement is available," he noted.
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Trump pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.
At a joint televised press conference on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Borrell announced that the talks would resume in the coming days to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal.