Iran says ball in US court for conclusion of Vienna talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that the ball is now in the US court to ensure a successful conclusion of the Vienna talks on restoring the Iran nuclear deal…reports Asian Lite News

“If Washington responds to the few remaining important issues and does not waste time anymore, Vienna talks can be concluded soon,” he said on Tuesday during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Iran has held eight rounds of talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna with major signatory parties, including Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, in a bid to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear pact, from which the former US government under President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out in 2018.

But the talks in Vienna, which are nearing an agreement, were halted again days ago, after Russia reportedly demanded guarantees that the US-led sanctions imposed following the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict should not affect its trade ties with Iran.

Amir Abdollahian described Russia’s approach to the Vienna talks over the past 11 months as “constructive,” expressing confidence that this approach would continue until a good and credible agreement is reached.

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During the meeting with Lavrov, Amir Abdollahian also pointed to his country’s determination to develop relations with neighbouring countries, including Russia, as a main priority for Iranian foreign policy.

“The process of developing relations with neighbours and Russia will continue independent of any third factor or international developments and regardless of the outcome of the negotiations in Vienna,” he said.

For his part, Lavrov repeated his country’s full support for the conclusion of the Vienna talks, stressing that Russia would not stand in the way of a Vienna agreement.