U.S. , Iran to hold indirect nuclear deal talks in Vienna

Officials from Tehran and Washington are scheduled to visit Vienna next week to hold indirect “proximity talks” about the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers, diplomats said on Friday.

This move would mark a step forward, bringing Iran and the United States back into compliance with the accord.

“Iran and the U.S. will be in the same town, but not the same room,” a European diplomatic source stated.

In the same context, Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain discussed on Friday the possible return to it of the United States, and how to ensure full and effective implementation by all sides.

In 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump  pulled out of the deal and reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to violate some of the pact’s nuclear restrictions in retaliation.

The EU asserted that next week’s participants in Vienna would seek to “clearly identify sanctions-lifting and nuclear implementation measures,” including through convening meetings of relevant expert groups.

“In this context, the coordinator will also intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all JCPOA participants and the United States,” it added in a statement, referring to the acronym for the deal.

On his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas affirmed that it was good that talks were resuming, but time was of the essence.

“An agreement that is once again fully respected would be a plus for security for the entire region and the best basis for talks on other important issues of regional stability,” Maas said in a statement.

Moreover, Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. atomic watchdog stated that the talks had given him the impression they were on the right track; however, the way ahead would not be easy.