TEHRAN, Mar 16 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said yesterday that, the ball is now in the U.S. court, to ensure a successful conclusion of the Vienna talks, on restoring the Iran nuclear deal.
“If Washington responds to the few remaining important issues and does not waste time anymore, Vienna talks can be concluded soon,” Amir Abdollahian said, when meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in the Russian capital, Moscow, according to the website of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Iran held eight rounds of talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna, with major signatory parties, including Russia, China, France, Britain plus Germany, in a bid to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear pact, from which the former U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally pulled out in 2018.
But the talks in Vienna, which are nearing an agreement, were halted again days ago, after Russia reportedly demanded guarantees that the U.S.-led sanctions imposed, following the eruption of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, should not affect its trade ties with Iran.
Amir Abdollahian described Russia’s approach to the Vienna talks, over the past 11 months, as “constructive,” expressing confidence that this approach would continue until a good and credible agreement is reached.
During the meeting with Lavrov, Amir Abdollahian also pointed to his country’s determination to develop relations with neighbouring countries, including Russia, as a main priority for Iranian foreign policy.
“The process of developing relations with neighbours and Russia, will continue, independent of any third factor or international developments, and regardless of the outcome of the negotiations in Vienna,” he said.
For his part, Lavrov repeated his country’s full support for the conclusion of the Vienna talks, stressing that, Russia would not stand in the way of a Vienna agreement.– NNN-IRNA
