‘Close’ to reaching agreement at nuclear talks: Iranian official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign minister told United Nations (UN) chief on Sunday that “the ball is in America’s court” with regards to restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, adding that the negotiations were “close” to reaching an agreement, Iran’s state media reported.

According to state media, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the ceasefire in Yemen and the nuclear talks.

Guterres expressed his hope that Iran and world powers would soon reach an agreement at the nuclear talks in Vienna which have been underway for over a year. The foreign minister responded that Iranian demands have already been made clear, and that it is now up to the US to make a final decision. 

“We are close to an agreement in the negotiations,” AFP reported Amir-Abdollahian as saying during the phone call. 

The key sticking point is Iran’s demand for sanctions on its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) be removed, in turn removing the group from the US list of foreign terrorist organizations. 

Both sides expressed their satisfaction in having reached a two-month truce in Yemen, with Amir-Abdollahian reportedly stressing the importance of ending the war and the delivery of aid to the war-torn country. 

US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley said last week that the sanctions on the IRGC would remain in place even if an agreement to restore the deal is reached.

Iran and world powers, including the US, have held talks for almost a year aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, with Iran insisting that the US must lift its crippling sanctions, including those on the IRGC, and to provide a guarantee that future US administrations will not be able to withdraw from the deal.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agreed to observe a two-month truce, which took effect on Saturday, the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.