Doubts hang over adjourned Iranian nuclear talks

TEHERAN－Talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal have adjourned in the Austrian capital Vienna, with diplomats returning to their capitals for consultations before they reconvene this week.

Diplomats from Britain, France and Germany on Friday expressed "disappointment and concern" at the proposals from Iran. These developments, analysts say, have led to the suspension of the meeting and mounting uncertainty for future talks.

"It was emphasized that the proposals of Iran on the removal of illegal and oppressive sanctions and the nuclear issue are on the table," Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani told Iranian media on Friday in Vienna.

Since the European representatives needed to consult with their capitals for a "documented and reasonable response" to these proposals, it was suggested that the talks be suspended for a few days, he was quoted by the Iranian news network Press TV as saying.

The response from other sides to Iran's proposals would be the basis for further negotiations, Bagheri Kani said, adding that European parties were dissatisfied with some parts of Iran's proposes.

After "thoroughly and carefully "analyzing the proposals by Iran's new delegation, senior officials of the three European countries said Iran "has backtracked on the diplomatic progress made" by demanding "major changes", some of which were incompatible with the 2015 accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

However, Iranian media said Iran's proposals are "in full conformity with the JCPOA and the principles contained therein" citing an informed source familiar with the Vienna talks.

It is "unclear how these new gaps can be closed in a realistic time frame", European diplomats said.

These "new gaps" between the European countries and Iran are a continuation of their different opinions about the texts negotiated during six earlier rounds of talks.

The three European parties want Iran to agree to restart talks from where they left off in June, while Iran's negotiators reiterated that the texts of the previous rounds were only "drafts "and thus not legally binding for Iran.

In a more optimistic tone when commenting on the achievements in the past few days, the EU representative Enrique Mora, who chaired the Vienna meetings, told reporters on Friday that there had been progress "in the sense that we have had a new Iranian delegation".

Similarly, the talks helped other parties to increase their understanding of the position of the negotiation team of Iran's new government, said Wang Qun, China's envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.

On Saturday an air defense test triggered a loud explosion near the Natanz nuclear facility. The explosion was heard in the skies over the city of Badroud, 20 kilometers from the site, the official IRNA news agency said.

Xinhua - Agencies