The US said on Thursday that “substantial progress” during negotiations in Vienna to save the Iran nuclear deal had been made, deeming an agreement possible within days if Iran “shows seriousness” on the matter.
The Vienna talks, which involve Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the US indirectly, resumed in late November with the aim of restoring the 2015 deal. That accord had offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018.
Stating that “substantial progress has been made in the last week,” a state department spokesperson said that “if Iran shows seriousness, we can and should reach an understanding on mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA within days,” using an acronym for the 2015 deal.
But “anything much beyond that would put the possibility of return to the deal at grave risk,” they added.
A senior European Union official said on Friday that a US-Iranian deal to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement was close but success depended on the political will of those involved.
“I expect an agreement in the coming week, the coming two weeks or so,” the EU official said. “I think we have now on the table text that are very, very close to what is going to be the final agreement,” the official said.