Ned Price speaks of modest progress in ongoing Vienna talks

Speaking in his weekly press conference, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price answered some questions about the latest update over the sanction removal talks resumed on January 3 between Iran and the P4+1 group in Vienna.

"I don’t have a specific update.  As you know, this round is ongoing. We’ve spoken to the modest progress that we have seen in recent days", he said.

He also claimed, "Of course, that progress needs to be more than modest if we are going to be in a position to salvage the JCPOA and to ensure that the nonproliferation benefits that the JCPOA."

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s top negotiator in Vienna talks also said yesterday that the P4+1 group has held a meeting with the US in the absence of Iran to discuss the proposed drafts.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh in his weekly press briefing said that Iran is seeking a stable and reliable agreement, and no agreement that does not have these two components is on the Iranian negotiating team's agenda.

The new round of sanctions removal talks between the representatives of Iran and the P4+1 group of countries -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China -- was resumed on January 3 at the Coburg Hotel in Vienna. 

The talks are focused on the removal of all sanctions imposed on Tehran after Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the agreement. The US is not allowed to directly attend the talks due to its pullout in 2018 from the landmark deal with Iran.

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