Iran says it will review EU’s ‘final’ text to restore nuclear deal

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Indirect talks on reviving Iran’s nuclear accord between Tehran and Washington mediated by the European Union have concluded in Vienna with a final draft of the agreement on the table.

Iran confirmed that relative progress was made on remaining issues in this round of talks that began August 4 after a five-month hiatus but said discussions would continue.

A senior official in Iran’s Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying that the Iranian negotiating team led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani had informed other parties of its positions on the new draft text proposed by the EU.

He said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell presented ideas on the remaining issues in the new text and Iran conveyed its “initial response and reservations.”

The remarks came after the EU said it had put forward a “final” text to salvage the 2015 nuclear accord after four days of intense talks in Vienna between the parties to the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text. However, behind every technical issue and every paragraph lies a political decision that needs to be taken in the capitals,” Borrell wrote on Twitter.

He hastened to add that if these answers are “positive,” then the parties can close the deal.

Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations based in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, also took to Twitter to announce that the EU coordinator had circulated the final text of the draft on the restoration of the nuclear deal.

“The participants in the #ViennaTalks now need to decide if the draft is acceptable for them. In case of no objection, the nuclear deal will be restored,” he stated.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Borrell had a phone call after the negotiators returned to their respective capitals, discussing the latest developments in the talks.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed Iran’s “determination and seriousness” in reaching an agreement and said Iran’s negotiators had presented “constructive ideas” to overcome the remaining issues in the restoration of the nuclear deal.

The top EU diplomat, for his part, said he will continue efforts to “bring the views closer” to reaching a “good result” for all the parties.

The latest round of talks in Vienna came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US following President Joe Biden’s West Asia tour, where he signed two highly critical resolutions against Iran.