Iran Nuclear Talks Continue Amid Reports of Progress

Negotiators hopeful that Vienna talks are going well

Multiple nations came out of last week’s Iran nuclear talks in Vienna with talk that progress is being made, and signs that the process will continue in fairly short order. Everyone seems to have some level of positivity about the process.

And while there are those who note that the sides remain far apart on certain issues, Iranian officials say that a “new understanding” is starting to take shape. Exactly what form it will take is uncertain.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed confidence in the negotiators, but said that the offers so far weren’t worth addressing. Working groups are to meet throughout the weekend and into next week.

EU officials say that the process is to move deeper into “more detailed” plans, with the basic framework already seemingly agreed upon by most. The framework seems simple, sanctions relief and Iran returning to the terms of JCPOA.

Everyone is surprisingly upbeat after reports of Israeli sabotage in Natanz, and it seems that a path to a deal still exists. That’s not to say the deal will be easy to reach, but officials aren’t giving up on anything yet.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.