Vienna is witnessing an official meeting today, Sunday, among the remaining parties in the Iranian nuclear agreement, marking the conclusion of the sixth round that resumed last week. The European Union announced that the joint commission would meet today at the end of the latest negotiation round aimed at reviving the agreement from which the United States withdrew in 2018.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to the talks, confirmed in a tweet on Saturday that the joint commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear agreement) would meet on Sunday to decide on the way forward in the discussions. He added that an agreement to return to the deal is within reach, although final details have yet to be established.
#### Stalled Issues
However, informed officials indicated, according to Reuters, that disputes continue over several key issues. European sources explained to Al Arabiya that among the outstanding matters is Iran's request for guarantees concerning the protection of European and foreign companies operating in Iran in the event that Washington withdraws from the agreement again. However, the sources confirmed that providing such guarantees is legally challenging.
They also noted that the agreement document is nearly technically ready, but still lacks the resolution of some essential points that require political understandings from Washington and Tehran.
#### "Longer and Stronger" Agreement
Simultaneously, a diplomatic source, as reported by Iranian media late Saturday/Sunday, mentioned that among the pending matters is finding a reference for commitment to working on a "longer and stronger" agreement. Additionally, Iran has demanded during negotiations that the United States remove the Revolutionary Guard from its "terrorist" list.
Furthermore, two diplomats connected to the negotiations emphasized that U.S. sanctions on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his office remain a "sticking point" in the talks.
It is worth mentioning that delegations from the remaining parties in the nuclear agreement—namely Iran, Russia, China, France, the UK, Germany, and the European Union—have been holding meetings since April in a luxury hotel in the Austrian capital to revive the treaty signed between Tehran and major powers in 2015. However, the six previous rounds have not yet reached a resolution on all outstanding and complex issues.
