ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s top security official said on Monday that negotiators are currently assessing new developments affecting the ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a tweet on Monday, Ali Shamkhani added that Iran is working towards adopting initiatives that will accelerate the process of reaching a final agreement, despite recent elements affecting the talks.
Shamkhani’s comments come a day after new Russian demands have cast a shadow of doubt on the progress made so far in almost a year of negotiations.
On Saturday, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said they had agreed on resolving a number of issues that were still obstructing the path to reviving the nuclear deal.
However, on Sunday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov requested written guarantees from the US that Ukraine-related sanctions “will not in any way harm our rights to free, fully-fledged trade and economic and investment cooperation, military-technical cooperation with Iran, “AFP reported.
Russia is a signatory to the original 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and has also played a significant role in the Vienna talks.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday said sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine were separate to the nuclear deal.
Under former US President Donald Trump’s administration, the US withdrew from the nuclear accord and imposed a raft of sanctions in an effort to force Tehran to renegotiate a broader deal. President Joe Biden has sought to return to the deal.
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