Iran expects nuclear talks in Vienna to restart 'soon'

MOSCOW — Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Moscow on Wednesday that he expects negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal to restart in Austria soon.

"We are now finalising consultations on this matter and will soon restore our negotiations in Vienna," he told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The 2015 nuclear deal gave Iran sanctions relief in return for tight controls on its nuclear programme.

In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the multilateral accord and began reimposing sanctions.

Tehran has gradually rolled back its nuclear commitments since 2019.

US President Joe Biden reversed Trump's decision to pull the United States from international negotiations on curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.

But talks in Vienna to revive the deal have been at an impasse since June, when Iran's ultraconservative new President Ebrahim Raisi was elected.

Lavrov said Wednesday that the negotiations "should be resumed as soon as possible," and called on the United States to return to its obligation under the accord.