Russian envoy says sanctions against Iran can be lifted soon

In a tweet referring to the Vienna negotiations, Ulyanov wrote, "Sanctions against Iran can be lifted soon."

Ulyanov made the remarks in response to a question about whether the West will finally decide to lift the sanctions against a number of countries, including Iran or Russia.

Saying that he can't say the same about the anti-Russian sanctions, the Russian envoy added, "They are only partially associated with Ukraine."

"The West perceives independent policy of Russia as a strategic challenge and will hardly abandon the practice of sanctions," he continued.

Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany -- started talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April last year. While the parties noted progress in multiple rounds of talks, the indecisiveness shown by Washington has prevented any significant breakthrough.

Last month, the negotiations were hosted in the Qatari capital of Doha in a different format, with Tehran and Washington holding indirect talks mediated by the European Union. Those talks also failed to produce any tangible result due to the excessive demands of the US.

After several months of impasse, the Vienna talks resumed on Thursday. Expert-level negotiations have been held between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries.

MP