Talks to save nuclear deal start positively
Iran, Russia and the United States have reacted positively to the opening exchanges in a first day of talks in Vienna aimed at rescuing an international agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to reverse the decision of his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw from the landmark 2015 agreement, negotiated to ensure that Iran never developed a military nuclear programme.
And after Moscow gave a positive assessment of the opening of the talks earlier on Tuesday Washington’s reaction a little later was also upbeat. Iran too, described the opening talks as constructive.
“I can say that overall, the meeting was constructive,” the head of the Iranian delegation, Abbas Araghchi, told Iranian broadcaster Irinn.
The United States was not present at those discussions because Iran has refused to meet the US delegation as long as its sanctions against Tehran remain in place. The European Union is acting as an intermediary.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s Viennabased envoy to international organisations, said Tuesday’s meeting between those parties still in the deal — Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany and Russia — had been “successful”.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said later: “We do see this as a constructive and certainly welcome step.”
Since Mr Trump pulled the US out of the deal with Iran in 2018, re-imposing sanctions on Tehran, the remaining parties have been struggling to save the agreement, as Iran has gradually stepped up its nuclear activities.
Tehran is demanding an end to the crippling sanctions Mr Trump imposed, before which Iran will not meet the US delegates.
The US delegation is due to meet in a different high-end hotel, also in downtown Vienna, with EU negotiators acting as go-betweens.
At the same time, two expert-level groups — on sanctions lifting and nuclear issues — are working “to identify concrete measures to be taken by Washington and Tehran” to restore the deal, Mr Ulyanov said.
Ahead of the talks, US special envoy Rob Malley suggested that the United States could be open to lifting sanctions and returning to the deal, comments welcomed by Iran government spokesman Ali Rabiei.
Iran confirmed in January it was enriching uranium to 20% purity, well beyond the threshold set by the deal.
Mr Rabiei reiterated Iran was ready to reverse the steps it had taken as soon as all sanctions imposed during the Trump administration were lifted.
However, EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali warned of a “complex process” ahead, stressing that it was too soon to anticipate the outcome.