Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said many tables have been prepared in the process of expert negotiations in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and remove the sanctions on Iran.
“Part of the parentheses has been cleared and the agreements are turning into sentences and words,” he explained.
“What remains are the major issues and special political decisions. Washington ought to make up its mind and announce it,” the Iranian spokesman added, referring to the need for the US to terminate the sanctions against Iran in a practical and verifiable manner.
He said a “good and reliable” agreement will be achievable at a fast pace if the above-mentioned developments take place.
Khatibzadeh also noted that the negotiating parties in Vienna returned to their capitals for a break after intensive meetings that have focused on four main topics.
He said the meetings of experts in Vienna were still in progress during the hiatus in the talks.
IRNA reported on Monday that Iranian deputy foreign minister and lead negotiator, Ali Baqeri, has left Tehran for Vienna to proceed with the JCPOA talks.
The eighth round of negotiations between Iran and the remaining signatories to the 2015 deal –Iran, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany- began last week in the Austrian capital as sources close to the talks say the Iranian team insists on a long-term and reliable agreement, rejecting an interim one.
On Thursday, Baqeri and Enrique Mora, the European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief and head of the Joint Commission of the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as well as representatives of the three European signatories to the agreement held separate meetings.
Reports suggest that the factual verification of the removal of US sanctions, which had been one of the main issues that the Western parties were opposed to, has been officially recognized and a discussion on the mechanisms of verification is still ongoing.