[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran have begun under the mediation of the European Union (EU) to resume the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which had been suspended for a long time following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With the global surge in energy prices, calls for lifting sanctions on Iran and the return of Iranian crude oil to the market are growing louder, drawing attention to whether the negotiations between the two countries will make progress.
According to the Associated Press on the 28th (local time), Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, and Ali Bagheri Kani, the chief Iranian negotiator, arrived in Doha, Qatar on the same day. The two parties are known to coordinate their differences by conveying opinions to each other through Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, without meeting face-to-face.
Previously, the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal had been ongoing for 11 months since April last year in Vienna, Austria, with participation from the parties involved including France, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and Germany, and were close to a final agreement. However, the talks have been suspended since March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is interpreted that the U.S. and Iran are seeking a breakthrough to reach a bilateral agreement ahead of resuming the restoration negotiations.
The core issue of this negotiation is expected to be the lifting of sanctions on Iran. Although Iran has dropped its demand to remove the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, two unresolved issues related to sanctions remain. As the war in Ukraine prolongs and oil prices soar, voices from Western countries calling for the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the return of Iranian oil to the market are growing stronger, raising expectations that both sides will actively engage in the negotiations.
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