Negotiations to resume the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program are moving forward, although not fast enough, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, said on the Russia-24 television channel on Monday.
"The process is going on. Not so fast, but it is moving forward," he said.
According to the diplomat, the issue of centrifuges at Iran's nuclear facilities remains a pressing problem discussed at the talks in Vienna. "What to do with these centrifuges? There is an option to take them abroad, an option to destroy them. And there is the option of storing them on Iranian territory and putting them under IAEA safeguards, sealing them, and so on. You can agree on which option will be used. This is only one of dozens of questions that have to be solved," he said.
Commenting on G7 calls for Tehran to take the process seriously, Ulyanov said there is no reason to suggest that any party to the negotiations on the resumption of the JCPOA on Iran's nuclear program is trying to drag out the process and lacks the political will to achieve a practical result.
"I see no reason to suggest that at least one of the negotiating parties - including the Americans and Iranians - is playing a game in this case. There is actually a political will to get a concrete result," the diplomat said.
For the Americans, Ulyanov noted, it is important that the Iranian nuclear program remain "under reliable control," which is now largely lost as a result of Washington's policy of maximum pressure and retaliatory steps by Tehran. "And it is important for the Iranians to get the sanctions lifted," he added.
The Russian permanent representative pointed out that the Iranians were showing themselves to be "quite serious negotiators" and the G7's concerns were due to the lack of proper trust between the participants in the process. "If they [Iranians] feel that there are flaws in their position which don't suit others - and these are real flaws that can and should be corrected - they do so. They do it quickly and clearly," he added.
The seventh round of talks on the Iran nuclear deal and the lifting of US sanctions against Tehran began on November 29 and was suspended on December 3 when European participants returned to their countries for additional consultations before continuing the dialogue. Another round was held on Thursday in Vienna. During the talks, Tehran presented the parties with a draft agreement to reopen the nuclear deal in the form of two documents dealing with the lifting of US sanctions and issues on the nuclear program. The US delegation does not participate in direct talks with Iran or in meetings of the Joint Commission, but is present in Vienna for separate consultations with the other parties to the Iranian nuclear agreement.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: viennamission.mid.ru
Based on materials from TASS