According to Reuters, an Iranian official in Tehran told the news agency on Saturday that demands by Russia for written US guarantee that sanctions on Moscow would not harm Russian cooperation with Iran "is not constructive for Vienna talks."

What is worth noting is that Reuters made the claim even though it has no correspondents in Tehran.

An IRNA correspondent investigated Reuters' assertion while speaking to Iranian officials and found that in fact, no Iranian official associated with the nuclear situation had any such interview with Reuters. 

What actually happened?

In a briefing on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he asked the US to provide written guarantees that sanctions against Russia would not affect the progress with Iran on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

During the briefing, Lavrov stressed, "We need guarantees these [Western anti-Russian] sanctions will in no way affect the regime of trade, economic and investment ties that are laid out in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program."

Lavrov detailed that the Americans were asked for written guarantees, "At least at the level of the Secretary of State, that the current process launched by the United States will not in any way infringe on our rights for free, full trade and economic, investment, military and technical cooperation with Iran."

Iran ready to sign an agreement if red lines are observed by the West

During a phone call with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran was ready to finalize an agreement, so long as the West accepts the remaining declared red lines.

The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed that the West's need for urgency will not prevent Iran's demand for economic guarantees before an agreement is reached.

Amir-Abdollahian declared that "when Western parties agree to take our red lines into consideration, I will be available in Vienna to sign the agreement."

On his part, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed during the call that from the EU's point of view, most of Iran's demands were mentioned in the agreement, adding that negotiations are in progress to reach final results. 

Ulyanov: Final stages are near 

The head of the Russian negotiation delegation, Mikhail Ulyanov, said in a statement to an IRNA correspondent Thursday that the final stages of negotiations are near and an agreement has practically been achieved.

He added, however, that several remaining issues remain unresolved, detailing that they could be resolved within 24 to 48 hours. 

The US State Department yesterday announced it was "close" to an agreement, noting that "a number of difficult issues remain unsolved."

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter said there was “very little remaining time” to reach an agreement.

In a phone briefing, Porter told reporters, "We will not have a deal unless we resolve quickly the remaining issues."

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the West must take a serious and effective decision with regard to canceling the embargo and proving its true deflection from the failed policies of the previous US government.