‘Significant progress’ made in Vienna nuclear talks, but issues remain: Iran’s foreign ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that "significant progress" has been made in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna, acknowledging that some “key issues remain” and the process should not be rushed.

“Each round has the potential to be the final round and we should not rush. We have made significant progress, but key issues remain,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, according to state media.

“We are in no hurry to reach an agreement and we will not allow the negotiations to erode. There are no dead ends in the Vienna talks.”

His comments follow remarks made on Sunday by Russian representative Mikhail Ulyanov, who tweeted that there are no plans for a sixth round of talks and that “the negotiators proceed from the understanding that the current round should be final.”

Talks began in Vienna in April, after virtual discussions were held aimed at bringing the US back to the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and for Iran to return to full compliance with its nuclear obligations.

Representatives from the other signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal include Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China. They have been shuttling between the US and the Iranians to facilitate indirect talks.

During the fourth round of talks in mid-May, Enrique Mora, the EU chief of the joint commission talks, said that good progress was being made. 

“An agreement is shaping up,” he tweeted.

Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and began a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions in a bid to force Tehran to make a new deal that would also address its ballistic missile program and regional activities.

Under the sanctions, Iran has steadily walked back on its nuclear commitments and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit set in the agreement.

Iran has said it would return to its commitments under the deal, but only in exchange for a full lift on US sanctions.