Iran Nuclear Deal Restoration Talks to Resume in Vienna, Austria from the 29th (Summary)

US State Department Also Welcomes Resumption of Talks... "Will Send Special Envoy"
Iran Foreign Minister Contracts COVID-19, Suddenly Withdraws

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Iran and the European Union (EU) have agreed to resume negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) on the 29th of this month in Vienna, Austria. The United States also welcomed the resumption of the nuclear deal restoration talks, and negotiations, which had been suspended since June, are expected to resume in earnest. Whether the negotiations will be successfully concluded will depend on how actively the Iranian government, composed of hardliners against the U.S., engages in the talks.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 3rd (local time), Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's deputy foreign minister and representative in the JCPOA restoration talks, announced on his Twitter that "the JCPOA restoration negotiations will resume on the 29th of this month in Vienna, Austria," and that he had "agreed on this with Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS)."

The EEAS, which oversees the EU's foreign policy, also issued a statement immediately, saying, "A joint commission for the JCPOA restoration negotiations will be held in Vienna on the 29th, and representatives from the U.S., China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Iran will attend this joint commission," emphasizing that "the parties will continue discussions on the prospects of the U.S. returning to the JCPOA and ways to ensure that all parties fully and effectively implement the nuclear deal."

The U.S. State Department also expressed its welcome for the resumption of negotiations. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a press briefing that "the 7th round of JCPOA talks will resume on the 29th, with Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, leading the American delegation," and added, "The U.S. still hopes that all participants will achieve mutual benefits."

However, it remains uncertain how actively the Iranian government, composed of hardliners against the U.S., will participate in the negotiations. According to Al Jazeera, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on the same day that "Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, tested positive for COVID-19," adding that "he has no special symptoms and has canceled all existing diplomatic schedules to work from home."

Al Jazeera reported that "Minister Amir-Abdollahian was very close to General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in an American drone strike in early last year," and suggested that "he may have indirectly expressed a negative stance toward the resumption of negotiations with the U.S."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.