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Iran: Nuclear talks suspended for consultations with capitals

Araqchi: We are now closer than ever to an agreement.

À AFP

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, said yesterday that negotiations between Iran and the six world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement will stop, so that negotiators can return to their capitals for consultations, because the remaining differences cannot be resolved easily.

"Now we are closer than ever to an agreement, but the gap between us and the agreement still exists, and bridging it is not an easy task," Araqchi told Iranian state television from Vienna.

"We will return to Tehran," he added.

"Bridging the gaps requires decisions that basically the other side (Washington) has to make," Araqchi added.

I hope that in the next round we will cover this short distance, despite its difficulty.”

Negotiations have been underway in Vienna since April to find steps that Iran and the United States should take, regarding nuclear activities and sanctions, to return to full compliance with the nuclear deal.

Washington withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, after it described it as full of flaws, and did not eliminate the risk of Iran developing nuclear weapons capabilities.

Iran has since broken strict terms of the deal related to uranium enrichment, but said its steps could be reversed if the United States lifted all sanctions.

Several Iranian officials told Reuters that the current negotiating team representing their country will remain unchanged for at least a few months, with newly elected President Ebrahim Raisi assuming the position.

Another official said, "Who will be chosen by Raisi as foreign minister will reveal the government's new approach to foreign policy...but the nuclear establishment's policy is not determined by the government," but Khamenei.

Vienna ÀReuters

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