Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi (C) and Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora (R) are seen as they are leaving after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission Iran talks meeting in Vienna, Austria, on June 2. Photo: Askin Kiyagan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran resumed on Saturday in Vienna with the chief coordinator saying he believes a deal will emerge during this sixth round of negotiation, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The talks are at a critical stage as key deadlines approach, after which a deal could be much harder to strike.
- The U.S. had hoped for a breakthrough ahead of the June 18 presidential elections in Iran.
- "We are making progress but the negotiations are intense and a number of issues (remain), including on how steps are to be implemented," an EU spokesperson said in a statement to reporters, adding the aim was "to find ways to get very close to a final agreement in the coming days."
- China's top envoy told Reuters the primary obstacle remaining is U.S. sanctions.
"Our message to them (the United States) is that they should stop shilly-shallying by moving decisively to sanction-lifting."— China's ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Wang Qun