Iranian Foreign Minister Says Talks on Restoring Nuclear Deal to Resume in Vienna Soon

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Iranian authorities are wrapping up preparations for negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna and the talks are expected to resume in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says.

"The composition of our team of negotiators is almost complete", Amirabdollahian said as quoted by the Fars news agency, adding that the talks will be held soon at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or the Iran nuclear deal) with the P5+1 group of countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom - plus Germany) and the European Union.

The deal required Iran to scale back its nuclear programme and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.

A Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was reached concerning Iran's nuclear program in Lausanne, Switzerland, June 2015.

© AP Photo / Brendan Smialowski

However, the US abandoned its conciliatory stance on Iran in 2018, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hard-line policies against Tehran, prompting Iran to largely abandon its obligations under the accord.

The sixth round of negotiations to restore the JCPOA and lift US sanctions ended in Vienna on 20 June. After meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared their readiness to resume negotiations on the nuclear deal in Vienna as soon as possible.

In September, US President Joe Biden said that Washington was ready to return to compliance with the JCPOA if Tehran agrees to do the same.