On Friday morning, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that the United States believes the indirect talks taking place in Vienna regarding compliance with the Iranian nuclear deal should be resumed "quickly." Price's remarks came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the opportunity to revive the nuclear agreement appears limited as Iran moves forward in developing its nuclear program.
Price emphasized that the diplomatic path remains open, mentioning that Tehran has said it would return to talks "soon." He added: "We hope their definition of soon aligns with ours... We would like the negotiations in Vienna to resume as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission announced that discussions between Tehran and Western parties over the nuclear file would commence in the coming days. Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, in a statement to the Tasnim News Agency, indicated that the talks regarding the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West would "begin soon and in the coming days."
Negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the Iranian nuclear deal have been paused since last June following the election of Iran's new president, Ebrahim Raisi. The United States unilaterally withdrew under former President Donald Trump from the 2015 agreement with Iran, the UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany, which aimed to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the deal, but the parties are at odds over the steps to be taken and when, with key issues including what restrictions Iran will accept and what sanctions Washington will lift.
