The eighth round of talks in Vienna, Austria, continues in an atmosphere that Iran's demands for verification of lifting sanctions and assurance for non-recurrence of illegal acts by the United States have been accepted by other sides, indicating progress in negotiations, Trend reports citing IRNA.
Negotiators from Iran and the P4+1 group (Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) are going to convene at Palais Coburg in Vienna to continue discussions on a roadmap for lifting illegal and cruel sanctions imposed by the US on Iran.
The Islamic Republic says that following an agreement in Vienna, the US as the violator of the 2015 nuclear deal should lift anti-Iran sanctions; then, Tehran will return to its commitments under the agreement after verifying the removal of the embargo.
Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European Union, who co-chairs the Joint Commission meetings of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani told reporters Monday night that the Vienna talks is on right track to reach a final agreement.
Mora did not set an exact time, but he mentioned that the negotiating teams pursue the final deal within some weeks not several months.
"There is a sense of urgency in all delegations that this negotiation has to be finished in a relatively reasonable period of time," the European official noted, adding, "I wouldn't put limits but we are talking about weeks, not about months."
"If we work hard in the days and weeks ahead we should have a positive result," he said, noting, "It's going to be very difficult, it's going to be very hard."
It is said that mot delegations in the Vienna talks underlined the need for speeding up negotiations to reach a final consensus.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, tweeted Monday night: "At the meeting of the Joint Commission today the 8th round of the #ViennaTalks was declared open. The participants held businesslike and result-oriented discussions. In particular, they agreed to intensify the drafting process in order to achieve an agreement."
China has also emphasized that outstanding issues between Iran and the three European powers is diminishing and that they may reach a consensus prior to February 2022.
The European sides, who did not play a constructive role in the seventh round of the Vienna talks and issued joint statements against Iran, have kept silent, a move that can be a sign of leaning towards a positive attitude.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator said that almost all representatives in Monday's meeting prioritized lifting illegal and cruel sanctions.
The key to successful negotiations in Vienna is the effective and practical lifting of anti-Iran sanctions, Bagheri Kani said.
Asked about the possibility of reaching an agreement till the end of January 2022, the negotiator told IRNA that the more the other side shows seriousness to lift sanctions and gives assurances to the Islamic Republic of Iran to verify the implementation of the JCPOA commitments, the more it would be possible to reach consensus in a short period.