Washington and Tehran announce the resumption of nuclear negotiations in Vienna, and a Western official is optimistic about an agreement soon

Momentum returned to the efforts to revive the nuclear agreement, as the chief Iranian negotiator, Ali Bagheri, said that the goal of the negotiations that will be resumed in Vienna is to determine the conditions for Washington's return to the agreement, while the American envoy Robert Malley considered that his expectations are limited, but a Western official said that a conclusion must be reached. Agreement by the end of this week.

During his meeting with the Director of the Political and Security Department of the Italian Foreign Ministry Pasquale Ferrara in Tehran, Bagheri said that the goal of the upcoming negotiations in Vienna is to determine the conditions for Washington's return to the nuclear agreement, adding that his country is still a member of the nuclear agreement, and that the United States cannot set conditions for Iran. .

Bagheri added that Washington's real will and seriousness in reaching an agreement will be tested during the upcoming talks, as he put it.

In tweets, Bagheri said that the ball is in the US court to save the agreement, and called on Washington to "show a degree of maturity and act responsibly."

"On the way to Vienna to advance the negotiations," the chief Iranian negotiator added. "The responsibility lies with those who violated the agreement and failed to walk away from the ominous legacy."

Heading to Vienna to advance the negotiations.

The Onus is on those who breached the deal & have failed to distance from ominous legacy.

The US must seize the opportunity offered by the JCPOA partners' generosity;

ball is in their court to show maturity & act responsibly.

— Ali Bagheri Kani (@Bagheri_Kani) August 3, 2022

limited expectations

On the other hand, Washington's envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said in a tweet on Twitter, "Our expectations are being checked, but the United States welcomes the efforts of the European Union and is ready to try in good faith to reach an agreement. It will soon be clear whether Iran is ready for this."

Mali confirmed that the talks would proceed on the basis of a text recently proposed by the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to revive the 2015 agreement, under which Iran scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Preparing to travel to Vienna for talks on the basis of @JosepBorrellF's text.

Our expectations are in check, but the United States welcomes EU efforts and is prepared for a good faith attempt to reach a deal.

It will shortly be clear if Iran is prepared for the same.

— Special Envoy for Iran Robert Mallley (@USEnvoyIran) August 3, 2022

"Weekend"

On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior Western official as saying that an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue should be reached by the end of this week.

The newspaper said that the foreign ministers of the countries of the parties will be summoned to Vienna if an agreement is reached.

The newspaper also quoted an informed source that Iran has agreed for the time being to set aside its demand to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the US terrorist lists, and that it is still calling for stronger guarantees that Washington will not abandon the agreement again or re-impose sanctions on Tehran.

These developments come at a time when the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced yesterday, Wednesday, that a delegation headed by Bagheri will head to Vienna in the coming hours to complete the discussions that have been suspended for months, while Reuters quoted a US official as saying that Washington's envoy will go to Vienna.

Postponement possibilities

For his part, Henry Roma, an analyst at the Eurasia Group, said he believed it was unlikely that the agreement would be revived this year, and estimated the odds at 35%, adding that neither side wanted to be responsible for the end of the agreement.

“For the United States, the continued focus on the agreement delays the messy and costly shift toward increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran. For Iran, continued diplomacy, even if it seems futile, bolsters domestic markets, disrupts increased international pressure, and gives it cover to continue its progress,” Rome added. nuclear".

In the latest indication of the progress of Iran's nuclear program, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Tehran has completed the installation of 3 sets of advanced centrifuges at its fuel enrichment plant in Natanz.