The European Union announced that the sixth round of Vienna negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file will continue intensively in order to resolve the contentious issues, at a time when Tehran announced that it does not expect to reach an agreement during this round.
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Vienna stated that the chief Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, met the Russian delegate Mikhail Ulyanov on the sidelines of the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear agreement, and said that the meeting, which brought together the delegations of the two countries, discussed the outstanding issues and the details of the next stage.
The Russian delegate had said that progress had been made in the nuclear negotiations, but it was less than expected, while Araqchi said that he does not expect an agreement to be reached during this round, considering that there is a need for a lot of political, technical and legal discussions and consultations in the talks.
The Iranian official stressed that his country is determined to continue talks no matter how long it takes, and said that the other signatories to the nuclear agreement should reassure Iran that what happened in the past - such as the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement - will not be repeated in the future.
The assistant foreign ministers of the countries involved in the Iran nuclear deal decided to stay in Vienna;
In preparation for any new meeting.
The newspaper quoted European and American officials that the talks are making progress on every file and during every meeting (Reuters)
tangible progress
Meanwhile, the Washington Post, citing European and American officials, reported that indirect talks in Vienna regarding the Iranian nuclear file have made progress, but the issue of a final agreement remains elusive.
The newspaper said that the administration of US President Joe Biden remains unsure whether it is closer to reaching a final agreement, than it was at the beginning of the talks.
It also quoted European and American officials, whose identities were not revealed, that the talks are making progress on every file and during every meeting, and the officials added that it is a matter of weeks until all remaining outstanding differences are resolved.
The officials added, however, that progress, even if it reached 80%, remains unimportant unless mistrust between the two parties is overcome, and unless political decisions are taken that perpetuate the results of negotiations.
A European official explained to the newspaper that the parties are optimistic that reaching an agreement is technically possible, but this is half of the solution, he said, while the other half is purely political.
Iran sanctions
On the other hand, the chief Iranian negotiator said that the United States has imposed brutal and illegal sanctions on all Iranians around the world during the past three years.
He added, in a tweet on Twitter, that the current US administration, since taking power, continues to impose sanctions on the Iranians, and is considered an accomplice in this crime, stressing that the Iranians should not remain under sanctions for one day.
For his part, the Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, Wang Chun, called on the United States to stop hesitating and take decisive action towards fully and comprehensively lifting sanctions on Iran.
And the United States said last Thursday that it had lifted the sanctions imposed on 3 former Iranian officials and two companies that had previously traded in Iranian petrochemicals, a move that a US official described as routine, but it may show Washington's willingness to ease sanctions when justified.