Vienna talks to resume Monday
Two parties to the Vienna talks say the negotiations aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement will resume on Monday.
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P4+1 and Iran representatives in the Vienna talks (AFP)
The negotiations between Iran and the P4+1 will resume in Vienna on Monday, December 27, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.
The EU diplomat chairing the negotiations said Thursday the Vienna talks are resuming next Monday, and urged a "picking up of the pace."
"Vienna talks to resume on Monday 27 December. The JCPOA Joint Commission will meet to discuss and define the way ahead," EU diplomat Enrique Mora wrote on Twitter.
#ViennaTalks to resume on Monday 27 December. The #JCPOA Joint Commission will meet to discuss and define the way ahead. Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US. Welcome to the 8th round.
— Enrique Mora (@enriquemora_) December 23, 2021
The negotiations had restarted on November 29, following a five-month hiatus to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which would see the United States lifting the sanctions it imposed on Tehran, which heavily impacted Iran economically, especially throughout the pandemic.
Diplomats from parties to the deal - China, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia - conduct indirect talks in Vienna with Iran and the US, as Tehran refuses direct talks with Washington, citing its past deception.
Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov said it was unusual to engage in serious talks between Christmas and New Years'.
"In this case in particular... this is a sign that all the parties to the negotiations do not want to waste time and intend to speed up the recovery of the JCPOA," he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed Wednesday that the Western parties were trying to distort facts about the Iran nuclear deal, noting that Moscow officially appointed a new negotiation team, which made propositions the West admitted were worthy of considering.
The US national security advisor held talks Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who expressed his concern that negotiations in Vienna on Iran's nuclear program had "profound ramifications" for Israeli security.
Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor to President Joe Biden, said his visit to occupied Palestine came during "a critical juncture."
"It's important that we sit together and develop a common strategy, a common outlook, and find a way forward that fundamentally secures your country’s interests and mine," Sullivan said, according to an Israeli government statement.
Iranian sources told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) last week that several European countries - namely the United Kingdom, France, and Germany - are trying to obstruct the Vienna talks ahead of the Joint Commission meeting.
