Iran's foreign minister says an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal is "at hand," referring to forward momentum at negotiations in Vienna.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke on February 14 at a joint news conference in Tehran with his Irish counterpart, saying Iran continues to insist on the lifting of sanctions as the first condition for reviving the JCPOA.
"Our goal is the full removal of all JCPOA sanctions," Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that "it is better for the Islamic republic to reach an agreement today rather than tomorrow."
Amir-Abdollahian also said the Iranian side is “serious and ready to reach a good agreement” at the negotiations in which representatives of Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, and Russia are participating directly, while the U.S. negotiator is taking part indirectly.
Simon Coveney, Ireland's defense and foreign minister, said he also saw positive signs.
"I do believe that the other parties to the JCPOA, in particular Western countries, are deeply committed to making this work," Coveney told reporters at the news conference, using the acronym for the deal’s official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Ireland has been acting as the facilitator for a UN Security Council resolution that was agreed in 2015 to endorse the JCPOA.
"As facilitator, Ireland aims to assist in that process in whatever way we can, helping all parties to move this discussion forward," Coveney said, adding that the restoration of the JCPOA would secure rapid sanctions relief for Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with Amir-Abdollahian on February 14 and they noted a "tangible move forward" in reviving the Iran nuclear deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to TASS.
But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who also met with Coveney, insisted that sanctions be "truly lifted" and that "the rights of the Iranian people must be respected" in the ongoing negotiations.
Washington last week warned Tehran that it is running out of time to revive the agreement, telling Iran it will be impossible to return to the landmark accord if a deal is not struck within weeks.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on February 9 that a deal that addresses the core concerns of all sides “is in sight” but if it's not reached in the coming weeks, “Iran's ongoing nuclear advances will make it impossible for us to return to the JCPOA.”
Amir-Abdollahian referred to Psaki’s comments at the news conference, saying that threats and warnings “do not determine the end point of the negotiations.”
Washington and Tehran have held eight rounds of indirect talks in Vienna since April aimed at reinstating the pact that then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from in 2018. The deal lifted sanctions against Iran in exchange for significant restrictions on its sensitive nuclear activities.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said earlier on February 14 that talks were complicated but added that "there is no impasse in Vienna."
Khatibzadeh reiterated that Iran needs guarantees that the United States will not again leave the agreement and that it honors its commitments.