Resumption of Vienna talks ‘hopefully in a few weeks’: Russia's lead negotiator

The Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna says the next round of talks on the revival of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would possibly begin "in a few weeks."

In a post on his Twitter account on Monday, Mikhail Ulyanov added that the Vienna talks would be resumed "as soon as the Iranian side gets prepared."

"Looking forward to the resumption of the #ViennaTalks on #JCPOA as soon as the Iranian side gets prepared, hopefully in a few weeks," he said.

The tweet came after Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters at a virtual press conference on Monday that the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raeisi will definitely continue the talks in Vienna, emphasizing that Tehran has never bowed out of the negotiations.

The spokesman said Iran is experiencing a democratic transition of power with the administration of President Raeisi taking office, and the negotiating teams involved in the JCPOA talks would change in this process.

Addressing the Iranian Parliament after taking the oath of office as Iran’s eighth president, Raeisi said the US policy of imposing sanctions and mounting pressure on the Iranian people will not deter them from pursuing its legal rights, including the right to development.

Raeisi: Sanctions, pressures will not dissuade Iranians from pursuing their legal rights

Iran’s president says the US sanctions and pressure policy will not deter the Iranian nation from pursuing its legal rights.

“All sanctions on the Iranian nation must be removed and we support any diplomatic initiative that pursues this goal,” Raeisi added.

Raeisi also on Monday told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the rights of the Iranian nation must be guaranteed in any negotiations and its interests must be met.

Iranian nation’s rights must be guaranteed in any negotiations: President Raeisi

President Raeisi says the Iranian nation

Emphasizing that both the United States and European countries must fulfill their obligations as per the nuclear deal, Iran’s president said, “The rights of the Iranian nation must be guaranteed in any negotiations and the interests of our nation must be met.”

Since April, representatives from Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- have been holding face-to-face talks in the Austrian capital aimed at bringing the US back to compliance and putting the deal back on track.

So far, six rounds of negotiations have been held in the Austrian capital, as a result of which, according to participants, “significant progress” has been made in the course of the “constructive” and “businesslike” talks.

However, disagreements have persisted over a number of issues, including how to sequence the US sanctions removal, with Tehran arguing that since Washington was the party that violated the terms of the agreement, it should take the first step back into compliance with the deal by removing its unilateral sanctions.

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