TEHRAN- The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reconvened in Vienna on Monday evening at the start of the eighth round of talks aimed at removing U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The meeting was co-chaired by senior Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri and Mora, the Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Enrique.

During the meeting, which was held with the participation of Iranian, the P4+1 group and the European Union delegations at Coburg Hotel, the negotiation process was evaluated and discussions were held on how to proceed with the talks, the Iranian foreign ministry said. 

In the meeting, the senior Iranian negotiator referred to the progress made in the previous round. He stressed the need for the other side to lift sanctions and provide objective and sufficient guarantees, and that these measures must be verified. He stated that the Iranian delegation, like in the previous round, is completely prepared for serious interaction and progress of the talks.

All delegations noted the progress made in the previous round of talks and announced their readiness to continue intensive consultations.

It was also noted at the meeting that most of Iran's proposals have been included in the new text.

At the end of the meeting, it was decided that the negotiations and work on the text would proceed on different levels and in different formats from Tuesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Tuesday that the Vienna talks have made progress and are moving in a “good direction.” He added that “we are busy agreeing on points of contention inside brackets.”

“If the other sides continue with good faith, reaching a good deal is feasible,” Amir Abdollahian said. 

Earlier on Monday, he said that the talks in Vienna will not proceed from what was achieved on June 20 but from a joint document reached during the latest round of talks. The foreign minister noted Iran has cast aside the June 20 document, and a new and joint document has been reached during the Vienna talks.

“Today, a new round of talks begins in Vienna. And the issue of guarantees and verification is on our agenda. I think today we have a common and acceptable document on the negotiating table. We call them the December 1 and December 15 documents, both on the nuclear issue and on the sanctions issue. I mean we put aside the June 2021 document and reached a new and joint document,” he said. 

He added, “From today, our negotiations on that joint document will begin, and among the issues on the agenda in our current negotiations is the issue of guarantees and verification.”

He noted, “The most important thing for us is that under these words and issues, we must reach a point where, first, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without any restrictions, and oil money can be deposited in foreign currency in Iranian bank accounts, and we take full advantage of the economic benefits envisaged in the JCPOA.”

The latest round of talks was concluded more than a week ago with an agreement on some broad principles based on which the next round of the talks would proceed. The last round of talks faced many ups and downs due to Western refusal to take into consideration the change Iran had undergone in the past months in terms of the election of a new president.

Iran has said that it is ready to make a deal swiftly but the other side should show flexibility. 

Russia’s envoy to the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, described Monday’s meeting as result-oriented. 

“At the meeting of the Joint Commission today the 8th round of the #ViennaTalks was declared open. The participants held businesslike and result-oriented discussions. In particular they agreed to intensify the drafting process in order to achieve an agreement ASAP,” he said on Twitter. 

Before the meeting, negotiators held separate meetings in preparation of the eighth round of talks. Bagheri Kani met with the chief negotiators of China, Russia, France, and also Mora. 

Ulyanov said Bagheri Kani’s meeting with his Russian and Chinese counterparts focused on comparing “notes before the official start of the 8th round of the #ViennaTalks on #JCPOA”.

Also, Ulyanov met with U.S. envoy for Iran Rob Malley. “Just before the official opening of the 8th round of the #ViennaTalks I met with the #US Special Envoy for #Iran Mr. Robert Malley. We exchanged views on a number of topical issues under consideration in the course of ongoing negotiations on restoration of #JCPOA,” Ulyanov said of his meeting with Malley.

The Russian diplomat also met with Mora. Ulyanov said he discussed with Mora “possible ways ahead at presumably final round of negotiations on restoration of the #JCPOA.”