Tehran: At the end of two more weeks of negotiations, representatives of world powers party to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal appear more certain that work to restore the landmark accord will soon succeed.
The fourth round of talks in Vienna began earlier in May, three years after former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), imposing strict sanctions on Iran.
Following a Joint Commission meeting on Wednesday between Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union at the Grand Hotel – with the US still in another hotel – negotiators expressed optimism.
“The JCPOA participants at their meeting today noted that ‘good’ or ‘significant’ progress was made and that an agreement is ‘within reach’,” tweeted Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s top negotiator.
EU coordinator Enrique Mora shared a similar sentiment, saying “an agreement is shaping up” and a common understanding has been reached on measures required to lift US sanctions and scale back steps Iran has taken since 2019 to advance its nuclear programme.
