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| Police cars are stationed at the entrance of the Grand Hotel in Vienna, Austria, where the Iran nuclear agreement restoration talks are held on April 6, 2021 (local time). © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Dongmyeong Woo |
Consensus has been formed between the Iranian nuclear negotiating parties on the restoration of the agreement, but it is expected that a considerable amount of time will be required for tangible results.
Officials from the United States and Iran said that the first day of the Iran Nuclear Agreement (JCPOA, Comprehensive Joint Action Plan) talks held in Vienna, Austria on the 6th (hereafter local time) was “constructive”, but did not bend their previous positions. First, the’Working Group’ (working group) is in operation, and only after the positions of both sides are carefully reviewed, it is likely that the progress on the consultation will be determined.
On that day, delegations of the parties to the nuclear agreement, including Iran, China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany, met at a hotel in Vienna to discuss the restoration of the nuclear agreement, which was virtually destroyed by the US withdrawal in 2018. Iran’s nuclear agreement was signed in July 2015 by five permanent members of the UN Security Council (US, China, Russia, Britain, France) and six countries (P5+1), including Germany.
Instead of restricting Iran’s nuclear development, the goal of the agreement is to lift international economic sanctions against Iran as a reward.
The United States did not participate in the talks directly because of its status as withdrawing from the country, but participated in the talks indirectly through communication with the European Union’s delegation at another hotel in Vienna.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 7th, the United States and Iran, which are regarded as the two pillars of the restoration of the agreement, commented relatively positively on the first day of the talks, but did not view the results as rosy.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We know there will be difficult discussions going forward, but this is a healthy step.” Iran’s negotiating representative, Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi, also referred to the talks as “the right path”, and the WP saw this as “a remarkable remark given Iran’s recent tough remarks.”
However, Vice Minister Arakchi added in an interview with Iran’s Press TV, “It is too early to say that this (the meeting) was successful.” He repeatedly argued that the United States should lift Iran’s economic sanctions in one step, rather than step by step.
Meanwhile, the WP analyzed that the timing and structure of the talks brought disappointment to those who hoped for a quick and strong renegotiation between the United States and Iran under the Biden administration. The Iranian nuclear agreement was the unilateral withdrawal of former President Donald Trump in May 2018.
WP said, “With President Biden’s three month inauguration approaching this month, President Biden has not taken any drastic action to resume a nuclear agreement with Iran, and the United States and Iran are still in open confrontation.” “(Someone) rarely mentions about him unless you ask him directly.”
The media said, “This is in contrast to his fast-paced rush in dealing with domestic issues such as the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) and the economic impact.” “It seems to be because it could potentially interfere with his domestic goals by confronting fierce opposition from the circles.”
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| Iran, EU, Chinese and Russian diplomats are holding talks on the restoration of the Iranian nuclear agreement at the Grand Hotel in Vienna, Austria on April 6, 2021 (local time). © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Dongmyeong Woo |
Meanwhile, at this meeting, the parties decided to set up two working groups, and it is noteworthy whether progress in consultations could be achieved by doing so.
Russian Ambassador to Austria Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter that “two groups of experts have been formed to ascertain the specific steps the United States and Iran should take to restore full implementation of the agreement.”
China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany have signed this agreement together to form a working group. It is said that one of the two will look at what Iran needs to do to restore the agreement, and the other will look at what the United States needs to do.
“I am willing to accept the statement of all senior officials aiming for a longer and stronger deal,” said Susan Maloney, an Iranian expert at the Brookings Institute in the United States. “He said.
Maloney said, “Nuclear agreements will not be the top priority of the administration (Biden) as we have to deal with Corona 19, etc. for now. “He said.
Experts also predicted that the talks will be difficult to achieve early, although the talks opened the door to the restoration of the nuclear agreement.
Thomas Countryman, former Deputy Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, said, “The overlapping economic sanctions have made future tasks particularly complex.” US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln and others said the main goal in negotiations with Iran was to put Iran’s nuclear program “in the box.”
“Patience is a virtue,” said Ben Taleblu, an Iranian expert at the Foundation for Democracy and Protection of Democracy (FDD). “He said.