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Three key issues remain unsolved in Vienna talks, says Iran

Three key issues remain unsolved in Vienna talks, says Iran
posted onFebruary 28, 2022
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Iran said on Monday that Western powers must take a political decision to resolve three remaining issues amid efforts made to save a 2015 nuclear deal.

The indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Vienna have reportedly entered a crucial stage.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman identified the remaining outstanding issues as: the extent to which sanctions would be rolled back, providing guarantees that the United States will not quit the pact again, and resolving questions over uranium traces found at several old but undeclared sites in Iran.

"Reaching a good deal is possible ... three key issues still remain to be resolved. The US and European powers have not taken political decisions on these major issues," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference.

"We believe that we need an appropriate pathway to solve remaining issues in the areas of lifting sanctions, guarantees and political claims that have been leveled against our peaceful civilian nuclear program," Khatibzadeh said.

After 10 months of talks in Vienna, both Washington and Tehran have declared that they are closer than ever to reach a deal, yet significant issues are obstacles to reach this goal.

The restoration of the pact will limit Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States abandoned the original deal in 2018.

Iran's lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, who flew to Tehran last week for consultations with Iranian officials, "has returned to Vienna to pursue the negotiations with a clear agenda", Khatibzadeh said.

"The return to the nuclear deal will not be a one-day process, it will rather be a journey of many verifications on the part of the US."