Tehran [Iran]: The Iranian authorities are wrapping up preparations for the negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna and the talks are expected to resume in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said. “The composition of our team of negotiators is almost complete,” Amirabdollahian said as quoted by the Fars news agency, adding that the talks will be held soon at the level of deputy foreign ministers. In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or the Iran nuclear deal) with the P5+1 group of countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom – plus Germany) and the European Union. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal’s adoption. In 2018, the US abandoned its conciliatory stance on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hard-line policies against Tehran, prompting Iran to largely abandon its obligations under the accord. The sixth round of negotiations to restore the JCPOA and lift US sanctions ended in Vienna on June 20. After meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declared their readiness to resume negotiations on the nuclear deal in Vienna as soon as possible. In September, US President Joe Biden said that Washington was ready to return to compliance with the JCPOA if Tehran agrees to do the same.
