Washington: An Agreement is Possible in Vienna Negotiations if Iran is Serious

The United States has confirmed that reaching a compromise to save the nuclear deal with Iran is possible "quickly" if Tehran is "serious" in its intentions, following its announcement to resume indirect negotiations on November 29. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday evening, "We believe that if the Iranians are serious, we can do this in a relatively short time." He added, "We believe it is possible to reach an agreement quickly and implement it swiftly" to save the 2015 agreement, which is meant to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Price asserted that "a relatively small number of issues" remained "stalled" when these indirect negotiations with Iran were suspended in June. He continued, "We believe that if the Iranians are serious, we can do this quickly," warning that this "window" will not "remain open indefinitely." This comes after the European Union announced on Wednesday that the joint committee regarding the Iranian nuclear deal will meet on November 29 in Vienna. In a statement, the EU coordinator for the nuclear talks, Enrique Mora, will chair the meeting on behalf of the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, with representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and Iran in attendance. It was also confirmed that participants in the meeting will continue discussions on the possibility of the U.S. returning to the nuclear deal and how to ensure full and effective implementation of the agreement by all parties. The United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under Donald Trump, who deemed it insufficient and reinstated all sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran gradually began to step back from the restrictions imposed on its nuclear program.