Iran Takes 'Tough' Stand as Vienna Delegates Consult With Their Home States

ALBAWABA - The latest round of talks between Iran and the P4+1 countries ended on Friday with disappointment as delegates went to their respective countries for further consultations. 

The talks are expected to reconvene later next week according to Anadolu news and Iran's lead negotiator, Ali Bagheri-Kani, told reporters after the meeting that other parties — most notably the Europeans — felt the need to hold consultations with their capitals before taking a call on Iran's draft proposals.

The four-days of talks that started last Sunday were intense but marked by tension as Iran's delegates delegation put forward two proposals on the table including the lifting of sanctions in Tehran and nuclear commitments.

Bagheri said the European parties, including Britain and France want to examine the two draft proposals and return for "serious discussions." He stressed on the  lifting of sanctions before discussions on nuclear related issues as reported by the Turkish news agency. Many interpret this as Iran taking a tougher stand so earlier in the talks which has resumed after being in limbo for five months.  

However brave faces are being put on. In an earlier phone call to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian described the talks in Vienna as "good but slow." He praised made Borrell and his European team and said Iran comes to Austria  "with goodwill."

He didn't mince his words saying the current negotiations must be "aimed at lifting anti-JCPOA sanctions." This caused French President Emmanuel Macron to say in a statement the latest round of talks in Vienna were "unsuccessful," according to Anadolu.

The United States broke away from the deal in 2018  and which is officially termed as 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action but now it is planning to join if all goes well. However, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is not happy with the last Vienna round. 

Reports suggest that the Biden administration want to return to the deal but that the Iranians continue to stall.

Blinken did admit to a Reuters Next Conference that the decision by now ex-president Donald Trump to pull out of the deal was a "disastrous mistake. Because what's happened is that Iran has used that as an excuse, despite maximum pressure applied against Iran, to rebuild the nuclear program that had been put in a box", according to Anadolu.

He lamented that prior to the Iranian elections that saw a more hardline leadership come into power, the US and Iran had engaged in "real progress with both countries making good on their commitments."