Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Resume in Vienna

The fifth round of talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal started in Vienna on Tuesday as Iranian officials and other participants are hinting that an agreement will be reached soon.

Ali Rabiei, a spokesman for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said only “minor” differences need to be worked out. “General agreements have been reached on major disputes. On the lifting of sanctions, the remaining cases are very minor, and given the negotiation process, we are optimistic about resolving the remaining minor and practical cases,” Rabiei said at a press conference.

After officials met in Vienna, Iran’s negotiator Abbas Araqchi took a less optimistic tone and stressed caution. “Many delegations hope this will be the last round of talks … but caution must be exercised,” Araqchi said.

Russia’s negotiator in Vienna said the talks should “probably” be the “final round.” Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter: “The participants expressed readiness to do their best to resolve the remaining outstanding issues and to complete negotiations successfully as soon as possible.”

The new round of talks comes after Iran agreed to extend a temporary deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning inspections of Iran’s nuclear program. The agreement was initially reached in February when Iran stopped voluntarily complying with the Additional Protocol, an aspect of the JCPOA that allows the IAEA to conduct snap inspections. Other JCPOA participants welcomed Iran’s decision to extend the IAEA agreement as a hopeful sign for the talks.

With Iran’s presidential election upcoming in June, the government of Rouhani has little time left to get sanctions relief from the Biden administration. Rouhani is expected to be replaced by a more hardline candidate. Western media portrays Iran’s hardliners as opponents of the JCPOA. But the fact is, even the most hardline elements in Iran favor returning to the agreement if Washington lifts sanctions that have been imposed since the US withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Because the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump era sanctions, the two sides have to negotiate what the US is willing to lift and what is acceptable relief for Tehran. And what is acceptable to Rouhani may not be acceptable to his replacement.