'E3, US more realistic, back down from maximalist demands in Iran nuke talks'

Tehran, Jan 4 (IANS) The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the E3 group of France, the UK and Germany as well as the US have realised that they have to quit their "maximalist demands" in the negotiations to restore the historic 2015 nuclear deal.

"If we have a common text today, it is the result of the Western sides adopting a more realistic approach in the Vienna talks and realizing that they cannot have demands beyond the scopes of the nuclear deal in the ongoing negotiations in the Austrian capital," Xinhua news agency quoted Mnistry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying to the media here on Monday.

He said the mechanisms pursued in Vienna are clear, adding both bilateral and multilateral talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the P4+1 countries.

The Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in July 2015.

In May 2018, the US government under former President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement.

Iran and other remaining parties to the JCPOA started a diplomatic process in Vienna in April 2021 to revive the JCPOA, as part of which rounds of negotiations have been held.

The eighth round of the Vienna talks began on December 27.

Following a break owing to the arrival of the New Year, the negotiations are expected to resume this week.