It would be right to say today that the US and EU have grown increasingly realistic, said Marandi in an interview with Al Mayadeen.
Marandi added that it's still too soon to say whether or not there will be a deal as it's up to the other side, saying that if they want a deal then there can be one within a few weeks, because it's up to their willingness to fully implement the deal, accept verification measures, and provide a commitment not to breach it again.
This is while Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov, who heads the Russian delegation at the talks said on Friday that that all the participants in the talks recognize that some progress is being made towards an agreement on restoration of JCPOA.
Chief Chinese delegate Wang Qun also said Thursday, following the negotiation session, that the talks were moving onward.
France’s foreign minister earlier on Friday strikes a positive tone over the ongoing negotiations in Vienna, saying progress has been made in the talks.
The remarks came after Iran’s chief negotiator in Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani said the negotiations with the remaining signatories to the Iran deal are “positive and forward-moving.” The deal was unilaterally abandoned by the United States in 2018 three years after it was inked.
Earlier this week, the US also said the negotiations in Vienna had shown modest progress.
The negotiations are taking place between Iran, and the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), namely Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the EU.
The eighth round of talks, the second under Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raeisi, resumed on Monday after adding some new Iranian demands to a working text.
In withdrawing from the deal in 2018, the Trump administration reinstated harsh economic sanctions on Iran.
Iran says the US sanctions need to be removed in a verifiable manner. It also says Washington should provide guarantees that it will not pull out again.
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