German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Iran on Wednesday to return to the Vienna negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement as soon as possible. Maas stated to reporters in Berlin, "If we do not want to jeopardize what we have achieved so far in Vienna, we cannot extend the negotiations indefinitely." He added, "We expect Iran to return to the negotiating table in Vienna as soon as possible and to do so with the flexibility and necessary willingness to reach an agreement."
It is noteworthy that Iran signed the nuclear agreement in 2015 with the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany after years of tension and arduous negotiations. This agreement allowed the lifting of many sanctions imposed on Tehran in exchange for limiting its nuclear activities and ensuring the peaceful nature of its program. However, its provisions have been effectively nullified since former U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from it and reimpose sanctions, leading to a severe economic and living crisis in Iran.
New U.S. President Joe Biden, who took office in early 2021, has expressed his intention to return to the agreement on the condition that Iran returns to honoring its commitments, which it has largely rolled back since 2019 in response to the U.S. withdrawal. Iran and major powers, with indirect U.S. participation, are engaged in negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the deal. Six rounds of talks were held between April and June, with no date set for a new round. Iranian officials have previously confirmed that the resumption of negotiations will wait until the new government assumes office, while an EU official mentioned last weekend the possibility of the parties returning to discussions in early September.
