Iran set to return to nuke talks as review nears completion

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran is set to resume talks with world powers in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement as the process of reviewing earlier rounds of negotiations is nearing conclusion.

According to official sources, the review process that has been underway since the new government led by Ebrahim Raeisi took over in August will be completed in the coming days.

The next round of talks between Tehran and the remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal is likely to be held in the Austrian capital before the end of this month, sources told Anadolu Agency.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh had earlier referred to the review process but asserted that the process was not over yet.

Without giving the exact date for the resumption of talks in Vienna, the spokesman said the date will be announced soon after the "second round of the review process" is concluded.

Sources told Anadolu Agency that, with the review process nearing completion, the roadmap to be adopted for the next round of talks will be "vastly different" from the previous administration.

The new conservative government in Tehran has conditioned the success of talks on the US willingness to lift sanctions and return to the deal.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during his visit to Moscow on Wednesday, said the talks in Vienna will resume soon, without giving an exact date. He also urged the other parties to the deal to "make new decisions" until Iran completes the review process.

The indirect talks between Iran and the US in Vienna, which began in April, were suspended after the tenure of the reformist government headed by Hassan Rouhani ended in July.

There is speculation that Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri will be appointed to lead the talks, replacing Abbas Aragchi, who has taken up a new role as Abdollahian's adviser.

Bagheri is known as a hardline figure, who has been a strong critic of the nuclear deal and negotiations undertaken by the previous administration.

Pertinently, the deal clinched in July 2015 between Iran and the world powers, was abandoned by the US in May 2018, followed by reinstatement of sanctions.

In response, Iran has taken many measures since 2019 to scale back its commitments under the deal, sparking tensions with the US and Europe.