Vienna talks between Iran and major world powers

The latest round of Vienna talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal has been put on hold, EU coordinator Enrique Mora said Friday.

Mora also called for "political decisions" to break the deadlock as the parties were at a stalemate when it came to the next step.

"Participants will go back to capital(s) for consultations and instructions to come back next week. Political decisions are needed now," the European official tweeted.

The 8th round of the #ViennaTalks #JCPOA , which started 27 December, so far the longest, takes a break. Participants will go back to capital for consultations and instructions to come back next week. Political decisions are needed now. Safe travels to all participants.
— Enrique Mora (@enriquemora_) January 28, 2022

The talks will pause as of Saturday, and the parties to the accord will be back on the table next week, an Iranian source told Al Mayadeen.

"It was agreed upon that the parties return to their capitals for consultations considering the importance of the issues at hand and the need for political decisions," the source added, noting that the negotiations are on a positive trend.

Regarding the talks with the P4+1, Raisi asserted that Iran would proceed with the talks, but they are not everything, in a nod to the removal of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Raisi also touched on the US sanctions on Iran and linked the issue to reach a nuclear agreement. "If the rest of the countries are ready to lift the unjust sanctions on Iran, it is possible to reach a good agreement."

The deal had been formulated by Iran, Russia, China, the United States, France, and Germany. It is based on the major powers, known as the P5+1, giving Tehran sanction relief in exchange for the latter curbing its nuclear program.

The talks are mainly aimed at returning the United States to the agreement following its unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who accompanied his decision with the imposition of harsh sanctions on Tehran.

Talks aiming to revive the deal began in the Austrian capital in April and resumed in November after a five-month hiatus.

The EU has played the role of mediator, while Washington has been taking part only indirectly in the negotiations.

For the first time on Monday, Iran said it was open to holding direct talks with the US, which rushed to declare itself ready to hold talks "urgently".