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

TEHRAN, Iran

Indirect talks on reviving Iran’s nuclear accord between Tehran and Washington mediated by the European Union concluded in the Austrian capital Monday 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 Thursday after a five-month hiatus but said discussions would continue.

A senior official in Iran's Foreign Ministry was quoted Monday as saying by the state news agency IRNA 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 on Monday 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.

Earlier, an unnamed EU official was quoted as saying that there would be no more changes to the text presented by Borrell, saying he expects a final call from the parties in a "few weeks."

The unnamed Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the EU text needs a "comprehensive review," a sign that Kani and his team will be discussing it with top government functionaries in Tehran in the coming days before making a final decision.

In a tweet Monday, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a top adviser to Iran's negotiating team, said the "ball is in the US court" while confirming that the EU's proposed ideas to resolve the remaining issues were discussed in this round of talks.

"Iran will continue constructive engagement by studying today's amended proposals. The role of the coordinator is crucial, but it's for the parties to decide on a future final text," he said, adding the Biden administration's continuation of the Trump legacy "necessitates a very carefully tailored text."

"Any agreement must rest on a solid foundation, underpinned by unambiguous language, and guarantee unimpeded implementation," he wrote.

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 Monday, 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.

Kani and his team returned to Vienna on Thursday, and hours later, he said "the onus (to close the deal) is on those who breached the deal and have failed to distance (themselves) from the ominous legacy," referring to the Biden administration.

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.