Verification of Sanctions Removal a Top Issue in Vienna Talks

Iran’s main concern in the talks to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal will be over ways to verify the lifting of US sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
The talks, which aim to bring Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact aimed at curbing the Iranian enrichment program in return for sanctions relief, were adjourned in June after Ebrahim Raeisi was elected Iran’s president.
Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday reiterated that Iran will soon return to the nuclear talks with world powers in the Austrian capital, which include indirect negotiations with the United States, IRNA reported.
“Of course, we will soon return to the Vienna talks and we are keeping our eyes on the issue of verification and receiving the necessary guarantees for the implementation of commitments by the western parties.”
Amir-Abdollahian did not give details of the verification and monitoring mechanism Tehran was seeking. But Iran has often voiced concern about the need to verify that US sanctions that were lifted under the accord are not kept in place by Washington.
Former president Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that severely affected Iran’s economy, prompting Tehran to go beyond some of the accord’s nuclear restrictions.

Likely Timeline 

Iran is reportedly set to resume talks with world powers in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement soon as the process of reviewing earlier rounds of negotiations is nearing conclusion.
According to official sources cited by Anadolu Agency, the review process that has been underway since the new government in Iran took over in August will be completed in the coming days.
The next round of talks between Tehran and the remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal is likely to be held in the Austrian capital before the end of this month, sources told the news agency. 
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh had earlier referred to the review process but asserted that the process was not over yet.
Without giving the exact date for the resumption of talks in Vienna, the spokesman said the date will be announced soon after the “second round of the review process” is concluded.
Sources told Anadolu Agency that, with the review process nearing completion, the roadmap to be adopted for the next round of talks will be “vastly different” from the previous administration.
The new government in Tehran has conditioned the success of talks on the US willingness to lift sanctions and return to the deal.
Amir-Abdollahian, during his visit to Moscow last Wednesday, had said the talks in Vienna would resume soon, without giving an exact date. He also urged the other parties to the deal to “make new decisions” until Iran completes the review process.
There is speculation that Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri will be appointed to lead the talks, replacing Abbas Araqchi, who has taken up a new role as Abdollahian’s adviser.
Baqeri is known as a strong critic of the nuclear deal and negotiations undertaken by the previous administration.