Decisions need to be taken by the West to reach nuclear deal, Iran negotiator says

DUBAI (Reuters) – Western partners in nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna have to make decisions on crucial issues to help reach an agreement, Iranian officials said on Thursday on Twitter.

Reuters reported last week that a U.S.-Iranian deal was taking shape to revive the pact, abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who also reimposed extensive sanctions on Iran. Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said it was possible to achieve a good agreement after significant progress in the negotiations in Vienna.

However, he added: “To resolve the remaining crucial issues, Western political decision-making is necessary to balance the accord.” Shamkhani is secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Council, which reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Being near the finish line is no guarantee of crossing it” and sealing an accord, Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s chief negotiator at the Vienna talks, said in a tweet. “It requires extra caution, much perseverance, additional creativity and a balanced approach to take the last step,” he added.

Diplomats said a vague mention of other issues in a draft text of the agreement was a reference to the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian funds in South Korean banks, and the release of Western prisoners held in Iran. Iran on Wednesday urged Western powers to be “realistic” in the talks and said Bagheri Kani was returning to Tehran for consultations, suggesting a breakthrough was not imminent.