TEHRAN — The most recent round of the Vienna talks ended on Friday as both sides were optimistic that there would soon be a conclusion.

Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said on Friday that the three European parties (E3) to the 2015 nuclear deal finally agreed to accept Tehran’s viewpoint as a basis for “serious, result-oriented” talks.

Bagheri Kani was briefing reporters at the end of the seventh round of talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna between Iran and the five remaining signatories to the multilateral nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

The talks are aimed at lifting the U.S. sanctions on Tehran to revitalize the agreement.

The chief negotiator added that the pace of reaching an agreement depends on the will of the other side.

“If the other side accepts the rational views and positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the new round of talks can be the last one and we can achieve a deal in the shortest possible time.”

Bagheri Kani also rejected claims by the E3 that the halt in the Vienna talks came upon Tehran's request.

“Iran did not want to stop the negotiations at this stage, but we had agreed from the beginning that it would be necessary for us to take a rest after reaching a draft agreement,” he said.

“Iran has insisted from the beginning on the need to continue negotiations to reach a draft agreement,” he added.

Meanwhile, European Union coordinator Enrique Mora said that there is a “common basis” on the removal of unilateral sanctions against Iran.

“Now we have a common basis though not entirely there on sanctions lifting chapter but that bit has a different internal logic so no big deal. Hope that clarifies why next is 8,” Mora tweeted early on Saturday.