TEHRAN -- Negotiations in
Vienna aimed at removing sanctions on Iran nuclear deal were suspended Friday as the Europeans’ lack of initiative in the face of the Iranian team’s “groundbreaking” proposals dragged down the process.
The ISNA news agency said the talks would “most likely” resume on Monday but French President Emmanuel Macron suggested there could be a longer break in the talks, which resumed on November 29 after a five-month break.
Iran said it has submitted two draft proposals for the nuclear agreement, which has been in tatters since the U.S. withdrew in 2018.
“The first document sums up the Islamic Republic’s point of view concerning the lifting of sanctions, while the second is about Iran’s nuclear actions,” Iran’s lead negotiator Ali Baqeri-Kani said.
“Now the other side must examine these documents and prepare itself to hold negotiations with Iran based on these documents.”
Baqeri said the opposite side “felt the need to consult with their capitals to provide reasoned, documented, and logical responses to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s proposals”.
“Accordingly, the other sides were given the opportunity to resume talks in Vienna soon next week after consulting with their capitals,” he told IRNA news agency.
Speaking on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, the French president however said it “should not be excluded” that this round of talks “does not reopen swiftly”.
In a telephone call with EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said the talks were going well “but slowly on all tracks”.
“We think that a good agreement is possible but that requires a change of approach by certain parties who must drop their threatening language and opt for texts focused on cooperation, mutual respect and results,” the minister said.
Baqeri said on Friday Iran would deliver a third proposal once the first two it submitted the previous day were accepted.
“Iran’s proposals to the world powers cannot be rejected. They are based on the provisions of the 2015 agreement,” he said, adding that all nuclear-related U.S. sanctions should be removed immediately.
The third document will state Iran’s views and proposals with regard to the verification period of removing sanctions, Nour News which is affiliated to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) cited Baqeri as saying.
If successful, the talks will remove U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
However, “the unpreparedness of the European parties has practically slowed down the negotiation process for no reason and paralyzed the way forward”, Nour News wrote on Friday.
“This is important because the Western side of the P4+1 group, which is following Washington’s

will, has concentrated on a blame game launched even before the start of this round of talks and by relying on heavy psychological operations, it has made every effort to blame Iran for a possible disagreement because it lacks the willpower to reach an agreement,” it said.
According to Nour News, the Western countries which were adamantly pressing for initial drafts in the previous six rounds of negotiations have not put any initiative on the negotiating table and practically slowed down the negotiation process.
“It should be noted that although Iran has stated from the beginning that achieving a good agreement will not be sacrificed for speed in the negotiations, the unpreparedness of the European parties has practically slowed down the negotiation process for no reason and paralyzed the way forward,” it said.
“Given the unwillingness of the Western parties to advance professional, groundbreaking and outcome-oriented negotiations, it seems that we must, as in the past, anticipate an escalation in their blame game against Iran,” it added.