Eighth round of Iran nuclear talk strikes hope. On a cautiously optimistic tone, the eighth and potentially final round of talks in Vienna to restore Iran’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Western powers has begun.
On Monday night in Vienna, a Joint Commission meeting of the remaining participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear deal is officially known, closed with a series of bilateral and trilateral sessions between the various delegations.
There was no direct meeting between Iranian and US representatives, however, because Tehran refuses to speak directly with Washington after the US unilaterally abandoned the agreement in 2018.
Eighth round of Iran nuclear talk strikes hope.
Iran’s senior negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said during the main meeting at the Palais Coburg that the delegations agreed that “excellent progress” was made during the seventh round, which ended 10 days earlier, and that the discussions now have an “appropriate framework” to move forward.
“The important thing in this Joint Commission meeting was that different sides emphasized the importance of prioritizing the lifting of sanctions, and also verification and guarantees during the eighth round,” he said.
The talks will continue on Tuesday, according to Bagheri. The Iranian delegation has already stated that it is willing to stay in Vienna until a solution is struck that is acceptable to Tehran.
As a result of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA under former President Donald Trump, Iran now demands the full relief of sanctions, as well as assurances that the US would not withdraw again and a period to verify that sanctions are effectively lifted.
Iran received sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme under the JCPOA. However, following the US departure and application of sanctions, Iran has abandoned those restrictions and is currently enriching uranium up to 60% using sophisticated centrifuges.
Because of Iran’s nuclear progress, Enrique Mora, the European Union’s meeting organizer, told reporters outside the venue that time is limited, but all delegations want the discussions to end successfully.
“We have come a long, long way since the beginning of the negotiation. We have incorporated the sensitivities of a new Iranian government. So from the point of view of the coordinator, we are exactly at the point where we should be if we want to get the final successful result,” he said, referring to the government of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi that came to power in August.
“If we work hard in the days and weeks ahead, we should have a positive result. It is going to be very difficult. Difficult political decisions have to be taken both in Tehran and in Washington.”
The meeting was defined by Russia’s senior negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov as “businesslike and result-oriented,” with the goal of reaching an agreement as soon as possible, and the eighth round was billed as the “probably final session” of the negotiations.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated earlier on Monday that the eighth round will move forward based on a fresh and “appropriate” joint document.
