Iran’s Lead Negotiator Says No Direct Talks With US In Vienna
Iran has not held any direct negotiations with the Americans in the course of Vienna talks on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an MP quoted Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri as saying.
Speaking to Tasnim, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy commission gave details of a Tuesday meeting that the commission members have held with Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator Ali Baqeri.
According to Mahmoud Abbaszadeh, Baqeri has made it clear that the Iranian and American teams have not held any direct talks in Vienna so far.
Baqeri has also pointed to the positive trend of the nuclear negotiations and reaffirmed Iran’s goodwill and determination in the talks, the lawmaker added.
He noted that what can be concluded from yesterday’s meeting at the Parliament is that the fruitfulness or the definite results of possible direct talks with the US are not clear under the current circumstances.
Although the Vienna talks are making progress, there are major outstanding issues that need to be negotiated and agreed upon, Abbaszadeh said.
Last week, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also said in a tweet that “contact with the American delegation in Vienna has been through informal written exchanges, and there was no need, and will be no need, for more contact, so far.”
Iran and the remaining participants to the JCPOA have been holding talks in Vienna since April last year with the aim of reviving the deal by bringing the US into full compliance.
