[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The restoration talks for the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which had been tentatively suspended for five months since last June, have resumed in Vienna, Austria. As delegations from major countries have expressed optimistic prospects one after another, attention is focused on how much the United States, which has insisted on prioritizing the dismantlement of the nuclear program, and Iran, which has demanded the lifting of sanctions first, can narrow their differences.
According to foreign media including the AP on the 29th (local time), the first day of the 7th round of talks to restore the Iran nuclear deal was held at the Palais Coburg Hotel in Vienna, Austria. This location is famous as the place where the Iran nuclear deal was concluded in 2015. The restoration talks had been held since April but were suspended for five months following Iran's unilateral announcement of a temporary suspension in June, and have now resumed.
The atmosphere on the first day of the talks was evaluated as positive. Enrique Mora, the EU representative and Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, who chaired the talks, said at a press conference after the meeting, "I am confident that important progress can be made in the coming weeks," and added, "The Iranian government also wants to draw new conclusions based on the results obtained in the previous talks."
Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian envoy to Austria, posted on his Twitter, "The talks started quite positively today," and conveyed a positive atmosphere by stating, "The participants agreed to add immediate measures."
However, it remains uncertain how much the gap between the United States and Iran, which have been running on parallel tracks, will narrow. Before the suspension of talks in June, the U.S. demanded the preemptive dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, while Iran, conversely, demanded the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Iran has persistently insisted on the lifting of sanctions as a precondition for negotiations.
Just before the resumption of talks, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized at a press conference, "The Iranian delegation has a serious will and expects results from the talks," and added, "If the U.S. has a firm will to resolve the issues that were not solved in previous talks, the dialogue will be easier." He further pressured, "If the U.S. insists on the same position as in previous talks, Iran may consider other options."
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