Certain Decisions by West Needed for A Deal in Vienna; Iran’s Top Negotiator
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri, who is also the country’s top negotiator in the Vienna talks on the revival of 2015 nuclear deal, said the West ought to make certain decisions in order for an agreement to be reached in the talks.
“Being near the finish line is no guarantee to crossing that” by sealing an accord aimed at putting the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on track, Ali Baqeri said in a post on his Twitter account on Thursday.
“It requires extra caution, much perseverance, additional creativity and a balanced approach to take the last step,” he said. “To finish the job, there are certain decisions that our Western interlocutors need to take.”
He was apparently responding to remarks by his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Ulyanov, who said in a tweet on Tuesday, “Apparently the negotiations on restoration of JCPOA are about to cross the finish line.”
The Vienna talks began last April between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy pursued by former president Donald Trump.
Tehran says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.
In a phone call with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said good progress has been made in the talks in Vienna with the P4+1 states, but in order to achieve a final agreement, the Western side is required to take a “courageous and realistic” political decision that guarantees Tehran’s interests, especially the objective removal of sanctions.
The Iranian chief negotiator returned home Wednesday night for a short stay within the framework of ordinary travels to the capital. However, the Iranian experts will continue the negotiations in Vienna.
Senior negotiators from the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- the UK, France and Germany -- also returned to their respective capitals this week for consultations.
