Iran says nuclear deal 'closer than ever'

VIENNA－Countries engaged in talks in Vienna over Iran's nuclear program are "closer than ever to an agreement", Teheran's chief negotiator said on Wednesday.

But Ali Bagheri Kani, writing on Twitter, added: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Our negotiating partners need to be realistic, avoid intransigence and heed lessons of past 4yrs. Time for their serious decisions."

France on Wednesday said a decision on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was just days away and it was now up to Teheran to make the political choice.

Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the agreement resumed last week after a 10-day hiatus and officials from the other parties to the accord－Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia－have shuttled between the two sides as they seek to close gaps.

Western diplomats previously indicated they hoped to have a breakthrough by now, but tough issues remain unresolved, Reuters reported.

'Tipping point'

"We have reached tipping point now. It's not a matter of weeks; it's a matter of days," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament.

Several other sources tracking the talks said that the next couple of days would be crucial in determining whether there was a way to revive the agreement, Reuters reported.

The pact began to unravel in 2018 when then US president Donald Trump withdrew his country from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Western diplomats say they are now in the final phase of the talks and believe that a deal is within reach.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it was "in a hurry" to strike a new deal as long as its national interests were protected and that restoring the pact required "political decisions by the West".

In another development, the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed talks with South Korea for the latter to resume imports of Iranian crude oil and unfreeze Iranian assets held in the country.

In recent days, Iranian oil and banking sector experts have visited Seoul to negotiate with South Korean officials and companies over oil supplies, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Agencies - Xinhua