Iran nuclear talks resume in Vienna

VIENNA - Iran nuclear talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal resumed here on Monday after a hiatus of more than five months.

Diplomats from China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, in addition to Iran, convened at the Palais Coburg hotel where the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Friday that Iran was serious about the upcoming nuclear talks and wants "a good and verifiable agreement."

"If other parties are ready to return to their full obligations and lift sanctions, a good and even immediate agreement can be reached," said Amir Abdollahian in a telephone conversation with EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell.

The last round of talks over the restoration of the 2015 deal was held in June.

The US government under Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019.

Iran's new negotiating team has set out demands for the revival of the nuclear agreement, including the removal of all US sanctions, verification mechanism for the removal of embargo, and guarantees from the United States that the next administrations will not breach the deal.