Iran, EU top negotiators meet in Vienna for sanctions removal talks

Iran’s top negotiator Ali Bagheri in the Vienna talks has held a bilateral meeting with EU Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Enrique Mora at Hotel Palais Coburg in the Austria capital, Vienna.

The details of the meeting have yet to come out.

Bagheri arrived in Vienna on Thursday morning.

Earlier, Behrouz Kamalvandi, Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohsen Naziri Asl, Iran’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, met with Russian top negotiator in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has reaffirmed Iran’s readiness for a lasting deal that would guarantee the interests of the Iranian people.

He expressed hope that the other sides will make necessary decisions to resolve remaining issues during the Vienna talks. Bagheri on Wednesday said on Twitter that he was traveling to Vienna for sanctions removal talks and that the onus is on those who violated the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, in a reference to the US.

He also said the US must show maturity in the negotiations and act responsibly.

Bagheri also said in a meeting with an Italian diplomat in Tehran that the US that left the JCPOA illegally is in no position to set conditions for Iran.

Bagheri added that the upcoming talks will put to a test the US’s will to reach a genuine deal.

Iran and the US are divided over Washington’s insistence on keeping in place sanctions on Tehran that were placed on the Islamic Republic illegally and unilaterally by former US president Donald Trump after he quit the nuclear deal in 2018.

Emad Askarieh

Emad Askarieh has worked as a journalist since 2002. The main focus of his work is foreign policy and world diplomacy. He started his career at Iran Front Page Media Group, and is currently serving as the World Editor and the Vice-President for Executive Affairs at the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website.