Iran says nuclear talks parties have 'serious will' to reach deal

TEHRAN, Iran

Following the joint commission meeting in Vienna on Thursday, Iran's lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said the parties have "serious will" to continue talks, which shows that they want to "narrow the gaps".

Iran and P4+1 countries – Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – reconvened in the Austrian capital on Thursday a week after the latest round of talks to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal was adjourned.

Bagheri, leading the 40-member Iranian delegation, said Tehran sees "no obstacles" to reach an agreement "if necessary grounds are provided," putting the onus on the European parties to the deal.

He further stressed that Iran will "continue on the path of dialogue" based on the two draft proposals it submitted to the European parties last week, relating to sanctions removal and nuclear commitments.

On whether other parties have responded to the two draft proposals, Bagheri said the issue will be discussed in the meetings of working groups, mostly likely on Friday.

Enrique Mora, the top EU representative and coordinator of the talks, following the meeting said the parties will continue talks "until an agreement is reached".

Earlier on Thursday, Bagheri held separate meetings with Mora as well as the representatives from Russia and China.

In a tweet, he said Iran "continues to engage seriously and is determined to reach a good agreement that guarantees the rights and interests of our people."

The talks to revive the deal, which were stalled following the government change in Iran in June, resumed last week.

The new Iranian delegation has adopted a tougher stance, provoking stronger reactions from the US, which has accused Tehran of not being serious.

On Wednesday, the US announced new sanctions on a dozen of Iranian official and entities. Iran's Foreign Ministry denounced it, saying talks and sanctions cannot go together.

The previous US administration abandoned the nuclear deal in May 2018, following it up with reinstatement of sanctions.

Iran has since May 2019 taken a slew of measures to scale back its commitments under the deal, ramping up nuclear enrichment up to 60%.