Islam Times - In Vienna, JCPOA Joint Commission Agrees to Speed Up Process of Talks

Islam Times - Representatives of Iran and the signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have agreed to accelerate the process of the talks on the revival of the agreement.

Senior diplomats from Iran and the P4+1 group wrapped up the first session of a new round of talks within the framework of the JCPOA Joint Commission in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Tuesday.

The negotiators agreed that expert groups would continue their work in two areas of lifting the US sanctions against Iran and the nuclear-related measures required to be taken by Tehran in an “intensive and fast” way.

It was also decided to set up a third expert group to examine practical arrangements needed to implement the process of sanctions removal and then the return of the United States to the JCPOA.

Iran and the P4+1 group of countries have been involved in the diplomatic process in Vienna since April 6 to save the JCPOA. The nuclear deal has survived almost three years of unilateral US sanctions on Iran, which in turn prompted Tehran to reduce its own commitments in a legal move under the accord.

The US, which withdrew from the deal in 2018, is also in talks with the JCPOA participants, except for Iran. The talks have so far failed to lead to concrete results as the US insists on pushing its own narrative with regard to several issues – including which sanctions need to be removed – into the talks.

The US is also pressing for a step-for-step removal of the sanctions, which has been rejected categorically by Tehran.

Two working groups set to draft solutions: Araqchi

Speaking after the meeting, Iran’s chief negotiator Abbas Araqchi said the two working groups would start drafting solutions to the dispute, including coming up with a list of measures that need to be taken by Iran and the sanctions that have to be removed by the US.

He added that the third working group should still focus its efforts on macro issues, including Iran’s verification of the US sanctions removal.

“We are on the right path but there are still challenges and difficult details. It is necessary for us to be able to agree on every word and phrase of them,” said Araqchi, who is the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs.

He added that the working groups will start their work today, and that the JCPOA Joint Commission would convene when it is necessary to examine the performance of the working groups or settle possible problems.

“We have still bigger difficult challenges on which we did not reach a solution and all the delegations are trying to find a solution to these challenges,” he said.