All parties in Vienna talks recognize progress is being made

"Now all the participants in the #ViennaTalks recognise that some progress is being made towards an agreement on restoration of #JCPOA and #sanctions lifting," said Russia’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov, who heads the Russian delegation at the talks.

"However persistent additional efforts are necessary to achieve this goal," he added.

France’s foreign minister earlier on Friday strikes a positive tone over the ongoing negotiations in Vienna, saying progress has been made in the talks.

"I remain convinced we can reach a deal. Bits of progress have been made in the last few days. We have been heading in a positive direction in the last few days, but time is of the essence because if we don't get an accord quickly there will be nothing to negotiate," told Jean-Yves Le Drian to BFM TV and RMC Radio.

The remarks came after Iran’s chief negotiator in Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani said the negotiations with the remaining signatories to the Iran deal are “positive and forward-moving.” The deal was unilaterally abandoned by the United States in 2018 three years after it was inked.

Earlier this week, the US also said the negotiations in Vienna had shown modest progress.

The negotiations are taking place between Iran, and the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), namely Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the EU.

The eighth round of talks, the second under Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raeisi, resumed on Monday after adding some new Iranian demands to a working text.

In withdrawing from the deal in 2018, the Trump administration reinstated harsh economic sanctions on Iran.

Iran says the US sanctions need to be removed in a verifiable manner. It also says Washington should provide guarantees that it will not pull out again.

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