Referring to his meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Linhart, Bagheri Kani in a tweet wrote, "In a friendly meeting with Austria's new FM, I stressed our seriousness & good will in Vienna talks."
"Deal is alive because of Iran's responsible conduct. Dishonest reports from outside negotiating room won't weaken our will to reach a deal securing our nation's rights & interests," he added.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani, who heads the Iranian negotiating team in Vienna talks met and held talks with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Linhart on Friday to review bilateral and international issues as well as the Vienna Talks.
Bagheri Kani is in Vienna to attend negotiations on lifting sanctions against Iran.
Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally left the 2015 nuclear deal — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.
Following a year of strategic patience, Iran decided to let go of some of the restrictions on its nuclear energy program, resorting to its legal rights under the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual commitments in case of a non-performance by the other side.
The administration of US President Joe Biden had voiced willingness to compensate for Trump’s mistake and rejoin the deal, but it has retained the sanctions as leverage.
After a five-month hiatus, envoys from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries — Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany — began on November 29 the seventh round of talks in Vienna to resurrect the JCPOA.
At the talks, the first under President Ebrahim Raeisi, the Iranian delegation presented two detailed draft texts; One on the removal of US sanctions and the other on Iran’s return to its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA.
Iran has repeatedly asserted that the Iranian delegation is very serious in the negotiations, and the submission of documents shows the country's seriousness to reach an agreement, and now other parties must show their determination.
ZZ/14000919000563