Iran is more confident about the survival of the nuclear deal as the remaining signatories have adopted a "united" stance and appreciate that its interests should be safeguarded following the United States' unilateral withdrawal, says a senior official.
"We are more confident about preserving the JCPOA," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after talks with European, Russian and Chinese officials in Vienna on Friday, IRNA reported.
Nations that remain in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia—held a formal meeting in the Austrian capital without the US for the first time since President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the accord earlier this month.
The talks between senior officials were aimed at fleshing out a package of measures to offset the US pullout and Washington's renewed sanctions.
The 2015 agreement between Iran and six world powers lifted international sanctions on Tehran. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities.
Since Trump's announcement, European states have been scrambling to ensure Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal. But this has proven difficult, with many European firms alarmed at the specter of far-reaching US financial penalties.
*** Serious Efforts
Speaking to reporters, Araqchi said, "We sense that the remaining parties to the JCPOA, namely the Europeans, Russia and China, are serious. They have realized that Iran's interests should be respected for the deal to survive. They have demonstrated their unity in supporting the agreement and emphasized that having normal ties and expanding trade relations with Iran is a significant part of the agreement."
World powers have been making efforts to accommodate Iran's demands, he said. "The meeting was a very good show of will. The remaining participants in the JCPOA were completely united and reiterated that they want the agreement to remain in place."
They are committed to holding negotiations with Iran over the prospects of trade and investment in various sectors and providing "practical" solutions, he stated.
*** Next Rounds
The senior diplomat noted that the talks intended to salvage the landmark pact will continue.
"For the time being we are negotiating...to see if they can provide us with a package which can actually give Iran the benefits of sanctions-lifting and then the next step is to find guarantees for that package," Araqchi, who headed the Iranian delegation in Vienna, said after the Friday meeting, Reuters reported.
Foreign ministers of the remaining countries will meet in the coming weeks.
*** Deadline
In addition, the news agency quoted an unidentified Iranian official as saying that Tehran wants Europe to come up with a package of economic measures by May 31.
Those measures include banning EU-based firms from complying with the reimposed US sanctions, urging governments to make transfers to Iran's central bank to avoid fines and creating alternative financing channels.
"We expect the (economic) package to be given to us by the end of May," the official said, adding that Tehran was "weeks" away from deciding whether to quit the pact.
European measures would need to ensure that oil exports did not halt, and that Iran would still have access to the SWIFT international bank payments messaging system, he stated.
*** Good Faith
A statement issued by the chair at the end of the meeting of the Joint Commission, which oversees the implementation of the nuclear deal, said, "Participants recalled their commitment to the continued, full and effective implementation of the JCPOA in good faith and in a constructive atmosphere and recognized that the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions allowing for the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran constitute essential parts of the JCPOA."
The meeting was chaired, on behalf of European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, by Helga Schmid, secretary general of the European External Action Service—the EU's diplomatic service.
*** Common Efforts
According to the statement, participants discussed common efforts with a view to practical solutions concerning a host of issues, such as the continued sale of Iran's oil and gas, condensate petroleum products and petrochemicals and related transfers, effective banking transactions, continued sea, land, air and rail transportation relations with Iran and the further provision of export credit and development of special purpose vehicles in financial banking, insurance and trade areas.
"These efforts are aimed at preserving the interests of businesses and investors engaged with Iran," it noted.
*** Package Will Take Time
A senior EU official said the participants stressed on Friday that the package would not be immediate.
"We made it very clear today that there are things that will take more time," the unnamed official stated in remarks carried by Reuters.
"We were very clear we can't give guarantees but we can create the necessary conditions for the Iranians to keep benefiting from the sanctions-lifting under the JCPOA and to protect our interests and continue to develop legitimate business with Iran," the EU official added.
*** Below Expectations
Iran has so far benefited less from the accord than it had initially hoped, partly because of remaining US sanctions that have deterred major western investors from doing business with Tehran.
Some western companies have already quit Iran or said they may have to leave because of the new US sanctions.
European nations have said as long as Tehran meets its commitments, they will stick to the deal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency—the UN nuclear watchdog that polices the pact—says Iran continues to comply with its terms.
