Vienna: ‘Failed’ nuclear agreement talks with Iran 

The latest round of talks concluded on Friday in Vienna between Iran and international parties on the nuclear agreement have ended “without significant progress”.

Chief Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani expressed in a press conference after the meeting:

“It was emphasised that Iran’s proposals on the issues of lifting illegal sanctions and nuclear obligations are on the table. Accordingly, the other parties utilised the opportunity to resume talks in Vienna next week after consulting with their capitals.”

The European Union (EU)’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian considered the atmosphere during the Vienna negotiations to be “positive but slow”.

However, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, the last round of talks in Vienna had “failed”.

READ: New round of Vienna talks on Iran nuclear deal adjourned without breakthrough

On Monday, a new round of negotiations between Iran and the international powers was launched in Vienna, after a five-month hiatus. On Thursday, the Iranian delegation presented its proposals after four days of intense and tense deliberations.

In statements a day before the negotiations, Kani announced: “Tehran’s first goal in the negotiations is to abolish all sanctions imposed on it.” He noted that his country is: “Ready for dialogue on the basis of obtaining tangible guarantees,” according to Iranian Mehr News Agency.

Six rounds of talks were held between Iran and major international powers in Vienna between April and June, in an attempt to revive the nuclear agreement.

The negotiations held under the auspices of the EU aim to return the US to the agreement from which the administration of former President Donald Trump withdrew. The administration re-imposed tough sanctions on Iran to push it to abide by its international commitments relating to the nuclear programme.

Tehran insists on a complete lifting of US sanctions before returning to its nuclear commitments, which it renounced over the past years, soon after Washington withdrew from the agreement reached during the Vienna meeting on 14 July, 2015.

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