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Efforts of all negotiators aimed at preserving Iran nuclear deal — senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov pointed out that the circumstances were more complicated now than at the end of the sixth round of talks, but "it is not a reason to give up"

MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. Efforts of all the participants in the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) are aimed at renewing the Iran nuclear deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at an online briefing on Friday.

"All the countries that after a technical break gathered for a JCPoA Joint Commission meeting on December 9, that is yesterday, as well as the United States, which withdrew from the agreement by the decision of the [former President Donald] Trump Administration, confirm (and it was again documented yesterday) their intention to return to the JCPoA, and this is what the efforts of the negotiating teams in Vienna are now focused on," he said.

"We have an enormous resource of political will, and I am convinced that none of the negotiators want the JCPoA to be unraveled," he said. "We are now working on how to get the negotiation process to keep going, basing on results of the previous six rounds."

Ryabkov pointed out that the circumstances were more complicated now than at the end of the sixth round of talks, but "it is not a reason to give up."

"This issue should be tackled in closest coordination with all the participants. Russia is ready for this and carries out such coordination on various fronts," he added.

"There are certain additional ideas. They are being worked out. A normal political dialogue, multilateral work, has started, and we will be carrying on with it," the diplomat stressed.

The seventh round of talks seeking to revive the Iran nuclear deal and to lift the US sanctions kicked off on November 29, but was suspended on December 3 when the European negotiators returned to their countries for additional consultations before continuing the dialogue. On Thursday, the talks resumed. During the Vienna talks, Tehran presented a two-part draft agreement on the renewal of the nuclear deal, which includes the lifting of US sanctions and the nuclear program. The US delegation neither holds direct talks with Iran nor attends the Joint Commission meetings, but remains in Vienna for separate consultations with other delegations.