Foreign Minister Says Iran 'In A Hurry' To Reach A Deal In Vienna

Iran's foreign minister has said Tehran is in a hurry to reach a nuclear deal in Vienna, although it suspended talks for about five months in 2021.

“It would be better for us to reach a deal today, rather than tomorrow”, he said, adding that “we're in a rush for achieving a deal, but a good one that serves our national interests”.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Monday during a joint press conference with his visiting Irish counterpart Simon Coveney.

Amir-Abdollahian said, “West must stop playing with the issue of time and text” and called on the other parties to work towards a swift deal, which is something all the other participants were attributing to Iran.

Before the volte-face today, Iran had reiterated that it wouldn’t accept any timeframe for the talks while other sides accused the Islamic Republic of wasting time so that it stockpiles enough fissile nuclear material to be able to make a nuclear bomb.

Critics said that one of Iran’s strategies to prolong the negotiations was its insistence on maximalist demands, including the lifting of all Trump era sanctions, including those not related to the nuclear issue.

Earlier in the day, foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran is awaiting a political decision by Washington on nuclear talks and reiterated that a deal is possible "tomorrow" if the US provides guarantees.