New Round of Nuclear Negotiations Begins in Vienna on Tuesday

On Tuesday, May 11, a new round of nuclear consultations will take place in Vienna, the capital of Austria, at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Iran and the European Union's foreign policy chief. This round is set to continue until Friday. According to Fars News Agency, Helga Schmid, the deputy foreign policy chief of the EU, will negotiate with Iran on behalf of other countries and will remain in constant contact with the others. The agency reported that at the end of this round, a meeting with all members of the 1+5 group is scheduled for Friday. Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, who has traveled to Austria for this purpose, stated upon his arrival in Vienna regarding the draft of the final agreement that "we hope to reach a final summary before July 1." Iran and the 1+5 countries announced on April 2 in Lausanne, Switzerland, that they had defined the "framework" for the final nuclear agreement, known as the Lausanne understanding. The drafting of the final agreement text between Iran and the 1+5 group began on Wednesday, April 21, in Vienna, with the first topic being how to lift sanctions on Iran. Following the Lausanne understanding, Iran and the world powers are expected to reach a comprehensive final agreement by July 11. Abbas Araqchi, upon his arrival in Vienna, responded to the question of "what percentage of the work is done?" by saying, "It is difficult to announce a percentage; we currently have a text that a relatively significant portion of it has been agreed upon, but one part is still under dispute." He continued, "In some paragraphs, there is a disagreement over a phrase, in some paragraphs a sentence, and in some places the entire phrase is disputed, but a significant portion has now been completed." Two days prior, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, quoted Abbas Araqchi as saying that "20 pages" of the final agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program have been prepared, which pertain to nuclear activities, "the lifting of sanctions on Iran and its timeline." On Thursday: Bilateral Talks Between Iran and the U.S. According to a report by AFP, as indicated by a statement from the U.S. State Department on Monday, the American team that is set to join the new round of nuclear talks in Vienna will head to Vienna on Wednesday, led by Wendy Sherman, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. The American team includes representatives from the President's National Security Council and arms control experts, as well as experts in energy, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and economic sanctions. According to Fars, Abbas Araqchi also announced upon his arrival in Vienna that "on Thursday we will have a bilateral meeting with the Americans and also a meeting with the Chinese delegation on the same day." Mr. Araqchi emphasized at the end of his remarks regarding this round of negotiations: "There are various factors both inside and outside the negotiation room that can hinder progress; we are simultaneously dealing with all these factors and pursuing the negotiations. We are very hopeful that we can reach an agreement even before the scheduled time." In this context, the Parliament's leadership: The plan to counter the U.S. Senate's resolution is currently unnecessary. "The plan of 60 Iranian parliamentarians" in response to the U.S. Senate's resolution. Baidi-Nejad: The next round of nuclear negotiations will take place from Tuesday to Friday next week in Vienna. Araqchi did not rule out inspections of Iran's military sites.