TEHRAN – An advisor to the Iranian negotiating team in the Vienna talks said Sunday the U.S. has not responded yet to a number of Iran’s demands.
Muhammad Marandi also said Iran is waiting for clarification from Russia on its demands for guarantees that new sanctions linked to Ukraine would not affect Moscow’s rights under a deal with Iran in Vienna.
“The nuclear negotiations aren’t over. On the one hand, Iran is waiting for clarification from Moscow about their demands from the US. On the other hand, the US has not responded to a number of Iranian demands that are key for the revival & full implementation of the nuclear deal,” Marandi tweeted.
A senior Russian diplomat hailed as “very successful” a recent visit by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to Iran, saying both sides decided to take “concrete steps” to settle outstanding safeguards issues in due time.
Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Russian delegation to the ongoing talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries in the Austrian capital of Vienna, made the remarks in a post on his Twitter account on Sunday, a day after Iran and the IAEA agreed on a roadmap to resolve all outstanding issues, which could help secure the revival of the 2015 Iran deal with world powers.
“The two sides agreed on concrete steps aimed at settling outstanding safeguards issues within a reasonable period of time. Great achievement!” Ulyanov, who serves as Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, tweeted.
Speaking in a joint news conference with the UN nuclear chief in Tehran on Saturday, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Muhammad Eslami said the two sides had come to the conclusion that some documents, which need to be exchanged between them should be exchanged by June 21.
He said Iran and the UN nuclear agency emphasized that the remaining issues between the two sides should be solved “within the framework of its own regulations and with no political influence, lobbying or interference that can affect the agency’s decisions on its conduct towards and its interactions with Iran.”
Grossi told a press conference in Vienna on Saturday night after returning from Tehran that the UN nuclear agency and Iran are developing a more cooperative relationship in order to resolve what he called open issues with Iran.
Also on Sunday, Iran’s lead negotiator to the Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani and Enrique Mora, the European Union’s coordinator for the talks, held a bilateral meeting.
Senior representatives of the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- returned to their capitals on Friday.
“We are close. E3 negotiators leaving Vienna briefly to update Ministers on state of play. Ready to return soon,” Stephanie Al-Qaq said on Twitter.
The Austrian capital has been hosting eight rounds of talks since last year aimed at reviving the deal, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In his talks with Grossi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian warned of the occupying regime of Israel’s acts of sabotage, urging the IAEA to maintain its independent, professional and impartial approach.
Amir-Abdollahian said the IAEA must be cautious about the Zionist regime’s efforts to take advantage of the agency’s mechanisms to advance its plots.
He expressed hope that negotiations and understanding between Iran and the IAEA would prepare the ground for implementation of bilateral agreements.
He also hoped that the IAEA chief’s visit to Tehran would further promote mutual confidence and cooperation.