Iran says nuclear talks in Vienna make ‘satisfactory’ progress in sanctions removal

 

Iran's lead negotiator in the Vienna talks on the restoration of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal said that negotiations have made "good progress" in sanctions removal of the United States (US). The negotiator shared this news on Thursday.

 Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also Iran's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, made the announcement while addressing the media. The latest round of the Vienna talks was adjourned on Thursday due to the New Year holidays. Ali Bagheri Kani said that negotiations were held at various levels since Monday. Since the beginning of the eighth round of the Vienna talks on Monday, the main focus of the negotiations was on the removal of the sanctions on Iran.

The eighth round of Vienna talks

Reportedly, the negotiation took place between Iran and the remaining parties, namely China, Russia, Britain, France plus Germany (P4+1). The talks were aimed at removing US sanctions against Iran and restoring the JCPOA. It has been on the verge of collapse after the US unilateral exit in 2018.

The 2015 deal offered Iran relief from sanctions that have weighed heavily on its economy. The United States, China, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain made an agreement in Vienna with Iran on its nuclear programme deal in 2015. It was formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. It was a detailed agreement with five annexes reached by Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States). However, the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump.

Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA resumed talks in Vienna in April 2021. However, the meetings were suspended again in June due to the election for the new Iranian president. The talk resumed in late November with the latest round getting underway on Monday.