The eighth round of talks in Vienna, Austria, to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and lift anti-Iran sanctions is being pursued vigorously by negotiating teams, who attend long and consecutive sessions, and most sides are optimistic that the negotiations are moving forward.

Representatives from Iran, the European Union, and the P4+1 group (Britain, France Russia, China plus Germany) convened on Friday. The eighth round of talks has its roots in a consensus among the mentioned parties in the last Joint Commission meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna.

The delegations have held bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss lifting of the United States’ cruel and illegal sanctions on Iranian people as well as revival of the JCPOA.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM TV and RMC Radio, “I remain convinced we can reach a deal. Bits of progress have been made in the last few days. We have been heading in a positive direction in the last few days, but time is of the essence, because if we don’t get an accord quickly there will be nothing to negotiate.”

US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley claimed that there are only “some weeks” left to revive the nuclear deal in Vienna talks.

The United States, which withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed illegal anti-Iran sanctions, is not in a position to set a deadline for reaching an agreement.

Russian and Chinese envoys to Vienna told reporters that the negotiations are progressing and that the delegations are following up talks to reach consensus.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, has emphasized that reaching a final agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal seems to be possible, adding that not only Russia but also other sides acknowledge that the talks are on right track.

Moreover, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, heading a delegation, visited Vienna to hold talk on unfreezing Iran’s assets in South Korea. The Korean official met with heads of negotiating teams at Vienna Marriott Hotel on Friday.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani has urged Seoul to unfreeze Iranian assets as soon as possible, noting that the US’s sanctions cannot justify blocking Iran’s money.

Bagheri Kani also noted that lifting anti-Iran sanctions would show other parties’ seriousness to reach a consensus in a shorter period of time.

A Saudi delegation met with Russia’s Ulyanov in Vienna. The Russian permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna tweeted on Thursday that the two sides discussed issues related to security affairs in the Persian Gulf region.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wrote on his Twitter account that the pace of Vienna talks is natural and good, and that the Iranian side’s initiatives brought the talks on track in a constructive atmosphere.

Source: National News Agency