Iranians hopeful as Vienna nuclear talks set to resume

TEHRAN, Iran

As negotiations on getting the Iran nuclear deal back on track are set to resume in Vienna next Monday, Iranians are hopeful that the talks will lead the US to lifting its sanctions from their country.

The nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany, and the EU. Under the agreement, Tehran has committed to limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes and in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic sanctions against Iran.

However, the US, under former President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to stop complying with the nuclear deal.

Less than a week before the Vienna talks resume, both Tehran and Washington continue to maintain their positions. While Iran wants the US sanctions lifted and guarantees given by Washington not to abandon the deal again, the US is calling for Iran to comply with its commitments.

Earlier this month, Ali Bagheri, Iran's deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator in nuclear talks with world powers, visited London, Paris and Berlin for talks. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi also held talks in Tehran on Tuesday.

'Step back from the US'

Mesud Senayi, a freelance analyst, criticized the Iranian government’s attitude towards the US.

"We have been saying 'the US can do nothing' for 40 years, but the US has affected the lives of 80 million people by tearing up a document,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“We claim that we are strong, but how is this when another country can easily affect our lives. There is an economic crisis and we have experienced 600-700% inflation in the last few years."

Senayi continued, "Even Russia and China, which claim to be eastern powers, are in business with the US.”

“We must take a step back from the US. If we do not make concessions, we will experience what we have been going through for [the last] 40 years. From now on, we have to change our perspective," he said.

Analyst Ahmed Selimi echoed a similar view.

"Iran says, 'I will not take a step back,' but until when? The people are devastated. How long will we continue like this?” he asked.

“The US does not keep its word, but the fight cannot continue forever. The end of every fight is peace. They do not live up to their commitments, but we must take a step back too.”

He added, “The solution is to make concessions on both sides. Our people are suffering so much and are in trouble, what is the end of this?"

"We definitely want an agreement between Iran and the US,” he stressed.

'We want dialogue'

Ruzgar Mustafayi, another Iranian citizen, complained that repeated meetings between Iran and world powers often result in nothing.

"There should be a nuclear agreement that will have a direct impact on the lives of the people,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“We definitely want an agreement between Iran and the United States. It should be a development that will reflect positively on our people, and I hope it will take place before it's too late.

“Now the government and the parliament are on the same line. Now the judiciary, the executive, and the legislature have the same view. Therefore, more results can be obtained,” he said.

Mohammad Resulifer, a freelance analyst, said the economic crisis in the country was caused by the US sanctions.

"We want dialogue with the world and to abide by international rules. We expect the nuclear agreement to be built on a healthy basis and to have peace and friendship between countries. We are both hopeful and hesitant about the future," he said.