The first day of the fifth round of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file, under the supervision of the European Union, was concluded in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in an atmosphere described as positive, the day after Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency reached an agreement to extend their agreement to monitor nuclear activities.

The chief Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, said that the nuclear talks in Vienna witnessed relatively progress during the previous four rounds, but pointed out that "there are important and serious issues that remain and must be discussed."

He added that he hopes that they will reach the final solution in the coming days, referring to holding useful bilateral meetings, including a meeting with the Russian side.

In turn, the US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said that the last round of Vienna talks was constructive and witnessed tangible progress.

But he added - in a tweet on Twitter - that there is still a lot of work to be done, expressing his hope that the fifth round of talks will move forward towards a mutual return to compliance with the nuclear deal.

The US envoy to Iran (left) said that the last round of Vienna talks was constructive and witnessed tangible progress (European).

Washington returns to the agreement

For his part, the spokesman for the European Union mission to the negotiations, Alan Matton, said that the participants in the meeting on the first day of the fifth round of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear deal welcomed the extension of the understanding between the IAEA and Iran.

He added that the experts will continue discussions in working groups, and at the same time the European Union - as the coordinator of the talks - will continue to communicate separately with all participants in the nuclear agreement and with the United States, "with the aim of finding a common ground for an agreement."

The European official stressed that the aim of the ongoing talks in Vienna is for the United States to return to the agreement, and to ensure its full and effective implementation by all parties.

In a related development, the Russian representative to international organizations in Vienna said that the fifth round of negotiations with Iran might be the last.

The aim of the ongoing talks - according to the European delegate - is for the United States to return to the agreement and fully implement it (Getty Images)

The remaining small issues

On Tuesday, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei expressed his optimism about Tehran reaching an agreement soon in talks with major countries to revive the nuclear deal.

Rabie’s comments came before the start of this round of talks. “General consensus has been reached on major disagreements. The remaining issues regarding lifting the sanctions are very simple. Given the negotiation process, we are optimistic about resolving the small issues. And the remaining process. "

Indirect negotiations began at the beginning of last April in the Austrian capital Vienna, between the United States and Iran, mediated by the Europeans and the rest of the signatories of the 2015 agreement, with the aim of preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

The essence of the nuclear agreement is for Iran to commit to taking steps to restrict its nuclear program, making it difficult to obtain fissile materials for making a nuclear weapon in return for relief from US, European and United Nations sanctions, while Tehran always denies seeking to possess nuclear weapons.