Vienna, IRNA - Negotiations to lift anti-Iran sanctions and revive the 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna, Austria, within hours, as the US and other Western powers need to take hard decisions to pave the way for reaching a final agreement.

The negotiations entered a new phase in the last days of the previous round of talks, which was described by the West as the final stage. All chiefs of negotiating delegations convened following bilateral and multilateral meetings to prepare a draft text of the final deal.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said that top negotiators focused on important issues such as lifting sanctions, assurances and verification.
Ulyanov tweeted on Monday: " After a short break the #ViennaTalks will resume tomorrow. Negotiations seem to be at the final stage which requires determination and energetic efforts from all participants to get to the destination point, i.e. full restoration of #JCPOA, including #sanctions lifting."
Representatives of three European powers (Britain, France and Germany) issued a joint statement two weeks ago, noting that the talks have reached the final stage and political decision-makings.
The decisions are expected to be reliable, verifiable and assuring four years after the United States' violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Europeans' disloyalty to abide by their commitments under the nuclear agreement. 
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran expects other sides to make their mind after one week interval, noting that removing sanctions and providing Tehran with economic profits of the JCPOA are very important and redline in the eyes of the Islamic Republic.
He expressed hope that positive comments will turn into practical commitments to reach an agreement in Vienna.
Iranian nuclear delegation has insisted on holding talks based on interests, principles and instructions of a good negotiation. Tehran seeks a good agreement in the shortest time possible, but Iranians do not want to reach consensus hastily.
Following hours of talks among representatives from Iran, the European Union and the P4+1 group (Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) on revival of the JCPOA and removal of sanctions, the negotiations have been moving forward in terms of assurances and verification of future commitments by the West especially the United States, but the issues of lifting sanctions and nuclear measures require political decision-makings.
The US announced some sanctions relief to Iran last week, allowing foreign countries and companies to participate in non-military projects at Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility and Tehran Research Reactor.
The sanctions relief relates to a tiny part of measures that the US is expected to do to pave the ground for returning to the nuclear deal. Iran demands for removal of economic sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian reacted to the US' act by saying that Tehran looks at what is happening on the ground as practical behavior of the Americans in lifting sanctions.
Different observers and media outlets described such a move by the Biden administration as a minor effort, but they need to take more tangible steps to meet Iranians' demands.
So far delegations in the Vienna talks have outlined framework of a final deal, which needs hard decision-making by the White House. As Iranian FM spokesman mentioned, an agreement can be reached if negotiating teams accept legitimate demands proposed by Iran.

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