Deputy -Level Nuclear Talks Continue in Vienna

No Significant Progress Reported

Iranian deputy foreign ministers Abbas Araqchi and Majid Ravanchi continued their talks with their EU counterpart Helga Schmidt in Vienna. However, there were no reports of progress so far. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is to arrive in Vienna on Monday to lead the Iranian negotiating team in the days remaining before the 30 June deadline.

The sequence of sanctions relief and the IAEA inspections of all suspected nuclear sites, including Parchin military base, apparently remain unresolved. On sanctions, the U.S. and the P5+1 want to lift sanctions only after Iran has complied with its commitments under a final agreement, JCPOA. Iran wants the sanctions lifted on the day JCPOA is signed.

On inspections, Iran is saying that inspection of military bases, like Parchin, will not be permitted. Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Gen. Massoud Jazayeri announced last week that such inspections, even if covered under the IAEA’s Additional Protocol (AP). Iranian negotiating team has agreed that Iran would sign AP as part of a final deal.

It seems unlikely the two sides could strike the final deal before the deadline and once again the talks could go into overtime.