WASHINGTON, April 21. /TASS/. The latest Vienna consultations of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program were positive, US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.

"The United States and Iran, we have together a stated common objective of returning to mutual compliance with the JCPOA. We have been engaged constructively in a diplomatic process to achieve that goal," he said. "I think it continues to be fair to say that the talks have been businesslike; they have been positive. Yes, there has been some progress, but there remains a long road ahead. And I think it’s fair to say that we have more road ahead of us than we do in the rearview mirror."

In his words, the discussions were "thorough" and "thoughtful," but "not been without difficulty."

On Tuesday, Vienna hosted another round of a meeting of the Joint Commission of Iran and five other JCPOA members - Russia, China, Germany, Britain, and France. The political directors discussed return to the full compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal. Russia’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the next meeting would take place early next week.

Participants of the Vienna meeting agreed to create a third group of experts to discuss practical measures needed to lift US sanctions, the press service of the Iranian government said on Tuesday. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the negotiating process was moving forward despite the existing difficulties and problems.