Iran's chief negotiator in the Vienna talks, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed on Saturday that he does not expect to reach an agreement with major powers on the nuclear file this week, noting that the situation is complicated due to outstanding issues with the United States. He also indicated that there is no connection between Iran's presidential elections and the nuclear deal talks in Vienna.
Russian representative Mikhail Ulyanov stated that negotiators need "a few more weeks to arrange the existing text," according to a statement on Twitter. Ulyanov announced on Saturday the start of the sixth round of the Vienna nuclear negotiations.
In a tweet, he revealed that the joint committee opened the negotiations, with everyone's determination to achieve satisfactory results as soon as possible. This came after German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged participants in the ongoing Vienna talks to expedite the process and avoid procrastination. He emphasized today in statements to Reuters the importance of flexibility and pragmatism from all parties involved. He also confirmed that procrastination or playing for time benefits no one.
Cautious optimism has surrounded the capital Vienna as the sixth round of discussions begins, especially since several issues remain unresolved, most notably the matter of U.S. sanctions. Although Washington lifted sanctions on three officials and two companies in Iran on Thursday as a goodwill gesture, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh did not view it as such. He tweeted, "The selective delisting by the United States is not related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (nuclear deal) talks and is not seen as gestures of goodwill."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously stated last week that many sanctions would not be lifted from Tehran. It is noteworthy that these talks began in April 2021 and have gone through five rounds so far, but have not succeeded in overcoming significant outstanding issues to reach an agreement that revives the deal from which the United States withdrew in 2018, reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
