World powers in talks to resume US-Iran nuclear deal

Vienna: Diplomats of Iran and the World Powers have initiated the third round of negotiations in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on Tuesday to bring the United States back to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Chaired by the European Union, representatives of Iran, China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany along with the indirect participation of the United States, agreed on steps to revive the agreement, from which the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 during the reign of Donald Trump. Current U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is in favour of resuming the deal, deemed as means of curbing Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for economic incentives to Iran.

Although the discussions in Vienna involve Russia too, a background cloud exists about Russia's role subsequent to Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent overheard allegations that Russia never came to terms with the Iran-US nuclear pact. Russia, however, has not responded to the allegations.

Iran opposes the compliance with the agreement unless all sanctions reimposed or added by former President Donald Trump are annulled. The Biden administration has expressed its readiness to scrap all sanctions that are inconsistent with the deal, but on a simultaneous basis, though it has not spelt out details of the measures.

Iran demands freeing Iranian detainees in U.S. prisons in exchange for the release of American citizens in Iranian detention centres, in case the nuclear deal with the United States is materialized.