Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that the process of talks aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is "on the right track," yet there are still important challenges to address, Iranian media reported.
Araqchi, head of the Iranian delegation, made the remarks after he and negotiators from Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany met within the framework of the JCPOA Joint Commission in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Tuesday.
On Tehran's position with regard to the Iran nuclear deal, "the United States must first lift all sanctions, and Iran will return to its obligations only after verifying the lifting of U.S. sanctions," Araqchi was quoted by the Iranian news network Press TV as saying.
"We can see enough seriousness in all delegations," he said, adding that "everybody is serious enough to work hard in order to come to a conclusion."
Especially, "we have common positions with Russia and China on many Issues, almost on all issues, and there is a good understanding between the three delegations, and we have very close cooperation," the Iranian negotiator added.
According to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on its official website, participants in the JCPOA Joint Commission's talks decided on Tuesday to speed up the process of negotiations, and agreed that the activities of expert groups continue in a fast and intensive way in the two domains of "removal of sanctions" and "nuclear issues."
They also decided to form a working group to discuss practical arrangements for the removal of the U.S. sanctions against Iran and its return to the deal, the statement added.
