"Vienna talks only concentrate on the removal of the illegal sanctions," Khatibzadeh said while rejecting issues such as step-by-step negotiations.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that the Iranian government participated in the Vienna talks with firm determination to be certain that what happens in Vienna is lifting the sanctions.
"If the other parties have joined the negotiations with goodwill instead of killing the time, talks will continue on the right path," he added.
In relevant remarks on Monday, Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani said that he is optimistic about the Vienna talks after the first round as all participants agreed to focus on lifting sanctions against Tehran.
Baqeri Kani, who is also the deputy foreign minister, told reporters in Vienna on Monday that he was optimistic after the first meetings, adding that all parties agreed that focus of the talks should be lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran after the US unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He added that the participants also agreed that a special working group should start its work on Tuesday to discuss "the removal of illegal and brutal sanctions" imposed on the Iranian nation.
"I believe that this is a great achievement that all member states of the G4+1 group accepted Iran's rightful request and emphasized that the state of the US regime's illegal sanctions against our people must be clarified first and then other issues be discussed," Baqeri Kani said.
He added that guarantees should be given to Tehran that no new sanctions would be imposed on the country.
“During the meeting, we emphasized that the main factor behind the current conditions is actions taken by a country, which left the agreement in violation of the accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution [that upheld it], and also reinstated past sanctions [on Iran] in contravention of international laws and regulations while imposing new sanctions as well,” Baqeri Kani said.
The US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic benefits.
Envoys from Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China – ended the first meeting of the seventh round of discussions in Vienna on Monday. The negotiations were paused in June when Iran held its presidential election. Since then, the new Iranian administration has been reviewing the details of the six rounds of discussions held under the previous administration.
Iran has already clarified that the talks will not focus on nuclear issues, noting that those issues were already been resolved through negotiations, which led to the conclusion of the JCPOA.
Iran says it will not settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions at once and in a verifiable manner. Tehran has also called on the other parties to make the most of the occasion, warning that the window of opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.
Your Comment