Iran and the United States are looking for a “new chapter” in the Vienna nuclear talks

The United States and Iran will resume talks on Friday to restore confidence and reduce what Washington calls “huge and profound differences” over how to save the failed nuclear deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday that initial talks with the United States and world powers in Vienna to save the deal were a “success” that opened a “new chapter” in saving the deal, according to a statement. through its official website.

Both countries described Tuesday’s indirect talks as a “useful” and “constructive” step, despite the fact that neither of the representatives actually met face to face. Instead, officials chose to use the European signatories to the agreement to act as intermediaries.

“We are not optimistic or pessimistic about the outcome of this meeting now, but we are confident that we are on the right track,” said Ali Rabiei, a spokesman for the Iranian government. “The full implementation of this agreement will certainly be completed in the coming weeks,” he added.

Tehran addresses “all or nothing” in the talks. He wants Washington to guarantee the complete elimination of Trump-era sanctions in order to reduce its enrichment activity. Iran’s side is also under pressure, with the presidential election set to take place in June this year, which will remove President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif from office.

However, Washington is looking for a “compliance for compliance” approach, with President Joe Biden ruling out any “unilateral gestures”, but still open to exploring how the US could also resume its own compliance with the agreement.

An early economic olive branch appears to have already failed, with Iran describing a US proposal to release $ 1 billion in frozen oil money in exchange for Iran limiting its uranium enrichment program as “ridiculous”.

“The first issue these talks will have to address is the basic disconnect from the approach,” Kirsten Fontenrose of the Middle East Scowcroft Security Initiative for Hadley Gamble said on Wednesday.

“Until you get into that circle, you can’t get anywhere,” she said.

With talks in Vienna scheduled to resume on Friday, two working groups have been set up to establish the negotiating framework. The first group focuses on the issue of US sanctions, which were imposed by the Trump administration after leaving the initial agreement in 2018.

The second group explores how to bring Iran back within the limits set by the original JCPOA on enriched uranium enrichment and stocks. Iran has repeatedly violated the terms of the agreement, causing concern among European and global signatories and causing tensions among its neighbors in the Middle East.

Friday’s talks could set the stage for more constructive talks or a full-scale confrontation. In the past, Iran used the first week of April to celebrate “Nuclear Technology Day,” which showcases the country’s nuclear achievements. The event was postponed last year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“This day is an opportunity for people to see that in recent years, despite economic pressures, what great progress and achievements have been made in the country’s nuclear technologies,” President Rouhani said.

Oil prices fell slightly at the end of initial talks. A breakthrough could be reduced for crude oil, analysts say, if the prospect of large quantities of Iranian oil exports returning to the market grows.

“If I were to sit at an oil trading office, I would probably think I’m in a pretty safe space, because it looks like this will continue as it did,” Fontenrose said.

“We will not have too many disruptions because we are not approaching the recovery of Iranian oil on the market and we do not see big strides from Iran or the Gulf that would be destabilizing for energy flow,” she added. .