Iran says to continue Vienna talks after new president takes office

TEHRAN - Iran will continue to attend the Vienna talks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement after President-elect Ebrahim Raisi and his cabinet take office in August, official news agency IRNA quoting Iran's Foreign Ministry as saying on Monday.

The spokesman for the ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said during an online press conference that Iran has announced its intention to continue the talks with its partners in the Joint Commission of the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran's policy will not change under the new administration, he said, adding that Iran will return to its commitments as soon as the United States returns to its obligations and Iran verifies it.

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

Between April 6 and June 20, the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by a U.S. delegation indirectly, held talks in Vienna to discuss a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and the way to ensure a full and effective implementation of the deal.

After six rounds of talks, the parties recently said serious differences remained between Iran and the United States over the revitalization of the deal.