TEHRAN— Talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which began on Thursday ended with Iran warning the United States that “hours in Vienna are decisive.”

On Friday, Iran’s top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani held a meeting with Russia’s chief negotiator, Mikhail Ulyanov.

The meeting followed two consecutive meetings between Bagheri Kani and Enrique Mora, coordinator of the JCPOA revival talks. 

After the meeting with Bagheri Kani, Ulyanov tweeted, “Yet another productive meeting with the Iranian counterparts at the #ViennaTalks on the #JCPOA.” 

It was then that Ulyanov went to meet Mora. 

Atmosphere of the Vienna talks have begun to sound positive now, as Ulyanov stated in a brief interview with IRNA correspondent in Vienna.

“Apparently all sides are arriving at consensus on the final text. It may be not very easy, but time will show if we succeed,” Russia’s top negotiator told IRNA, stressing that the atmosphere is “business-like.”

When asked about the new draft proposed by the European Union, Ulyanov rebuffed speculations about the EU-proposed draft being a new text, stating, “I believe this is misinterpretation, there is no EU text, and there is a common text to which the EU coordinators introduces a number of modifications. So it’s not EU text, it’s a common legacy which remains on the table and is being discussed. The Iranian side also introduced its suggestions which goes further compared to the European modifications.”

Meanwhile, an Iranian diplomat cautioned the U.S. that “the hours in Vienna are decisive.”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the diplomat said, “The stability of an agreement lies in its balance. Confidence for confidence. The alleged Safeguards-related issues were created and have been continuing with political pressure and are political in nature. They must not be a pretext for future abuse against Iran.”

He then noted, “Now the hours in Vienna are decisive and the Iranian side need to be assured As soon as possible. Focusing on some marginal issues that are far away from the main issues shows the lack of seriousness of the other party.”

“The assurance for the economic parties for stable, long-term and risk-free work with Iran is an inviolable principle of the agreement,” the diplomat continued. 

The United States’ tactic to gain concessions through bargaining at the last minute has led many analysts to reserve judgments for now, therefore, it cannot be said for absolute certainty that the Vienna talks can bear fruit or not. Meanwhile, the E3 (France, the UK and Germany) did not send their top negotiators to these talks. They sent experts. 

In response to a question regarding them not being present, they told Laura Rozen, a prominent American journalist, “Key outstanding issues remain between U.S. and Iran. Also this is not a negotiating round.”

Meanwhile, a senior EU official told Stephanie Liechtenstein, Politico’s correspondent in Vienna that the issues regarding guarantees has also been resolved, and Iran is no longer demanding political guarantees. 

“We are addressing this concern [the guarantees] in the text in quite a substantial way. Iran is happy with what is included in the text on guarantees,” the official told Liechtenstein on Thursday. 

“I think there is a real possibility of having an agreement but it is not going to be easy,” Liechtenstein quoted the official as saying, adding that they are discussing “4-5 technical issues and fine-tuning them.”