As talks in Vienna aimed at reviving Iran’s 2015 agreement with world powers are set for a fifth round next week, two diplomats involved in the negotiations have told Iran International they are hopeful of success.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on Friday visited the Grand Hotel to meet with European diplomats, who are liaising with the United States delegation, which is participating indirectly having in 2018 left the deal, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Formal talks involve remaining JCPOA signatories – China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Araghchi’s meeting followed sessions of expert groups examining which US sanctions need to be lifted, and which post-2019 steps in Iran’s atomic program reversed, for the JCPOA to be back in place. Since US president Donald Trump abandoned the agreement, Tehran has enriched uranium to higher levels and expanded its stockpiles of nuclear fuel.

One diplomat told reporters following the Araghchi meeting that negotiations were progressing. A second, European diplomat said, “We are hopeful the talks will succeed,” adding it was possible this could happen before the expiry around June 24 of a one-month interim arrangement for United Nations access to Iran’s nuclear sites.

The European diplomat compared the talks to “a circle with a target in the middle” and said everyone was turning around the circle but would in time snatch the target. Asked by Iran International’ reporter if there were discussions on a ‘Plan B’ should the talks fail, the diplomat replied: “Not at all. We still have time for negotiating.”

In Tehran President Hassan Rouhani said that “important steps” had been taken towards removing US sanctions, but various analysts have been suggesting he may be unduly optimistic in hoping that the main foreign-policy initiative of his presidency will be revived before he leaves office in August.

Khabar Online Saturday published an interview with Nodar Shafiee, an international relations specialist, who said the Vienna talks were becoming more challenging as they entered the fifth round. Shafiee argued that both the US and Iran wanted something beyond their stated aim of reviving the JCPOA – Iran that all, and not just nuclear-related sanctions, be lifted, and the US that Tehran make concessions over non-nuclear issues.

While the US realized Iran’s June 18 presidential election was not crucial – as Tehran’s decisions were made at a higher level, meaning Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei holding last word – there was little chance, Shafiee said, of early agreement in Vienna.

Aftab Yazd, a traditionally reformist newspaper, ran an article criticizing Rouhani, suggesting his team had erred from the beginning in believing that any agreement with the United States was better than none. The paper quoted a “nuclear expert” suggesting that while Iran should not hurry in the talks it should reduce tension by saying it would not take provocative steps as talks continued. The paper suggested Rouhani’s expressions of optimism were designed to enable him to blame a successor for any problems that became evident after he left office in August.