Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said during the fourth round of nuclear talks, which lasted for two weeks, “good progress” was made in terms of moving ahead in the nuclear talks but a few key issues remain unresolved which means that the negotiating teams should return to capitals to make some decisions.

“After two weeks of negotiations, we will have a meeting to conclude, and then the delegations will return to the capitals for consultations,” Araghchi told Iran’s state media late on Tuesday.
He added, “There are a few key issues that need further review and decision-making in the capitals, and we hope that they will take place in the next few days and that we will be able to conclude on these issues in the next round of talks.”

According to Araghchi, intensive talks and meetings were held at all levels.  He said that Iran and its negotiating partners had bilateral and multilateral talks at expert and political levels. “During these discussions, we tried to reach a conclusion on the issues at stake, either to resolve the differences or to decrease them, and the result is that we are in a position where we can have a general conclusion,” he pointed out.

He continued, “There are some key issues that need to be resolved and there is agreement on the rest; the texts have been well written and so now is the time to go back to the capitals and have the final consultations and then continue the negotiations.”

Araghchi, along with a delegation of Iranian experts and diplomats, left Tehran for Vienna nearly two weeks ago to start the fourth round of talks over the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

So far Araghchi has held several bilateral and multilateral meetings with the P4+1 group of countries. The JCPOA Joint Commission also convened several times.
The European Union said on Tuesday that the Joint Commission will resume in a physical format on Wednesday, May 19, in Vienna.

“The Joint Commission will be chaired, on behalf of EU High Representative Josep Borrell, by the Deputy Secretary General/Political Director of the European External Action Service, Enrique Mora. It will be attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran. Participants will continue their discussions in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA,” the EU said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russian envoy to the Vienna talks Mikhail Ulyanov said “significant progress” was made in the latest round of Vienna talks. “I said that significant progress has been achieved, in my view. That is true. But unresolved issues still remain and the negotiators need more time and efforts to finalize an agreement on restoration of JCPOA,” Ulyanov said on Twitter.

Earlier, he noted that the negotiations are moving ahead but with difficulty.
“So far so good but not easy. The work on restoration of the JCPOA continues, including during this weekend,” the Russian diplomat said on Twitter.

He added, “The Vienna talks on JCPOA are conducted in various informal settings, as well as in the working groups on sanctions lifting, nuclear issues and practical measures to restore the deal. The drafting process is underway. If the need arises a Joint Commission can be convened.”

Diplomats from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries as well as the U.S. are in Vienna to discuss the measures needed to be taken to bring Tehran and Washington back into full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Almost all parties to the negotiations said progress was made during the talks, though this progress did not amount to a complete revival of the JCPOA.

The fourth round of Vienna nuclear talks began in early May when negotiators from Iran and the P4+1 groups of countries as well as the U.S. returned to the Austrian capital after a short stay in capitals which included briefing and consultation meetings with senior officials.

Iran is in close contact with China and Russia as well as the three European signatories to the JCPOA. On Friday, Araghchi met with the Chinese envoy to the Vienna talks, Wang Qun. During the meeting, the two diplomats discussed the latest developments concerning the talks.

Also on Friday, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation, Kazem Jalali, met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. The meeting focused on the current situation surrounding the nuclear deal. The two sides also stressed the importance of coordination and efforts of all members of the JCPOA for a sustainable implementation of the nuclear deal in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

During the meeting, Jalali praised Russia’s “principled and rational stance in support of the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231 and its opposition to the illegal U.S. actions and sanctions” against Iran.

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of Iranian lawmakers called for a “100%, real” removal of the U.S. sanctions on Iran.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 200 out of the Parliament’s 290 lawmakers renewed emphasis on Tehran’s demand for a “real removal of all the sanctions and a rigorous verification of this [process].”

It referred to the imperative as “the essential condition for Iran’s commitment to its nuclear obligations,” according to Press TV.

The lawmakers further pointed out that any talks between Iran and the other countries about the matter could only be judged as productive if they enabled the Islamic Republic to “draw true economic benefits” from the JCPOA.

They, therefore, strictly ruled out any partial removal of the sanctions that could retain some of the economic pressure on the Iranian nation.

“The U.S. should be completely, verifiably, and irreversibly disarmed of the sanctions weapon,” they said. “If the sanctions are not removed 100 percent, it is as if none of them has been lifted.”

The MPs regretted that the quality of the talks so far have shown that neither the United States nor its European allies in the deal — the UK, France, and Germany — have displayed serious determination for removing the bans.

The allies were even trying to impose further restrictions on Iran and pave the way for putting the Islamic Republic’s defensive and regional influence up for discussion, the statement said.

However, succumbing to the enemies’ excessive demands stands to afflict serious damage on the country’s nuclear program and its achievements, the lawmakers underscored.

They said nuclear activities had contributed to the country’s economy in areas such as clean energy and environmental protection, pharmaceutics, and agriculture.

Last week, a group of Democrats in the U.S sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden urging him to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Fifty-three Democratic Party leaders said they have “strong support” for an initiative in the Biden administration to return to the JCPOA, which former President Donald Trump quit.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to pay a visit to Austria on Saturday but the visit was suddenly canceled. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Zarif abrogated his visit because he didn’t see it useful.

“Mr. Zarif did not consider the trip expedient in these circumstances, and therefore the visit’s arrangements were not finalized,” Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told the ISNA news agency.

A Vienna-based journalist claimed that the cancellation was due to Austria flying the Israeli flag over government buildings.

“In a last-minute move Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif canceled his bilateral visit to Austria, that was planned for today, due to the Israeli flags on the roof of the Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry in Vienna,” Stephanie Liechtenstein said on Twitter, adding, “The Austrian Foreign Ministry just confirmed this to me and added: ‘This cancellation will not change our traditionally good relations and open channels of communication with Iran. But we will not make our statement of solidarity with Israel dependent on the diplomatic visits of other countries.’”

Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who is in Vienna for nuclear talks, also expressed dismay at Austria’s controversial decision regarding the Israeli flag.

“Vienna is the seat of IAEA & UN, and Austria so far [has] been a great host for negotiations. Shocking & painful to see flag of the occupying regime, that brutally killed tens of innocent civilians, including many children in just few days, over government offices in Vienna. We stand with Palestine,” Araghchi said on Twitter.

Diplomats from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries as well as the U.S. are in Vienna to discuss the measures needed to be taken to bring Tehran and Washington back into full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Almost all parties to the negotiations said progress was made during the talks, though this progress did not amount to a complete revival of the JCPOA.

On Friday, Araghchi met with the Chinese envoy to the Vienna talks, Wang Qun. During the meeting, the two diplomats discussed the latest developments concerning the talks.

Over the past few days, the Iranian delegation in Vienna held several meetings with the P4+1.

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At the meeting, the negotiators decided to continue expert group meetings in the two areas of lifting sanctions and the nuclear measures required to be taken by Iran in an “intensive and rapid” way.

It was also decided to set up a third expert group called the “executive arrangements expert group” to discuss practical arrangements needed to implement the process of lifting of sanctions and then the return of the United States to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian delegate and Russia’s ambassador to Vienna tweeted, “The discussions proved that participants are guided by the unity of purpose which is full restoration of the nuclear deal in its original form. It was decided to expedite the process.”

The Iranian delegate did not stop its active diplomacy and held two separate meetings before the Joint Commission meeting on Tuesday.

First, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top negotiator, and his team met with their Russian and Chinese counterparts, a meeting described by the top Russian negotiator as “fruitful”.

ISNA reported that the three delegates called for the immediate lifting of the U.S. sanctions as a necessary condition for Washington to return to the JCPOA.

Another meeting was held between the Iranian delegate and the E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom).

It is expected that the Joint Commission would reconvene in the coming days.

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Representatives from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries – Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany – convened another meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Saturday with the purpose of ensuring the United States’ return to the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the lifting of Washington’s sanctions against Tehran.

The participants reviewed the outcomes of the talks held between the sides in recent days and received relevant reports prepared by expert groups.

They also agreed to hold another session of the JCPOA Joint Commission in the future if necessary.

Expert groups of both sides have held technical talks in parallel with the negotiations.

The EU said in a statement earlier on Saturday before the meeting that participants were expected to “take stock of the ongoing discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA by all sides.”

The Joint Commission was chaired on behalf of EU High Representative Josep Borrell by the Deputy Secretary General/Political Director of the European External Action Service, Enrique Mora.

Speaking to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) before the beginning of the talks, the Iranian chief nuclear negotiator said the consultations would continue within the framework of working groups as well as mutual and multilateral meetings.

Abbas Araqchi added that the Saturday session of the JCPOA Joint Commission would aim to review the latest developments in nuclear talks, discuss reports prepared by the working groups and make necessary decisions about ways to continue the work, how fast the talks should proceed and issues that need to be settled.

Araqchi, who is also an Iranian deputy foreign minister, said on Thursday that Tehran does not seek protracted negotiations on the fate of the JCPOA, warning that the country would take action if the talks are not constructive.“We are not after talks of attrition and the negotiations that are only time-consuming and aimed at [holding] talks for the sake of talks,” he said.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – A source close to the Vienna talks says a possible US removal of JCPOA-related sanctions is not enough, and that all sanctions, including those re-labeled under the former US administration, will have to be terminated.

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Foreign ministers from Iran and five world powers will meet in Austrian capital Fri. to try to save the JCPOA amid increasing US threats.

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