US, Iran signalcompromise may be hard to find as nuclear talks resume

Talks aimed atreviving the Iran nuclear deal resume on Monday, but the language from the keyplayers, Iran and the United States, suggests any breakthroughs in Vienna willbe hard won, experts say.

Though theadversaries have expressed a willingness to reconcile key differences relatedto a 2015 nuclear deal, their demands heading into the negotiations are stillnot much different from those expressed in the earlier rounds of theprocess, said Niu Song, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute ofShanghai International Studies University.

Iran wants theUS to lift economic sanctions so that the Islamic republic can normalize itsforeign trade, while the US wants to further restrict Iran's nuclearactivities, he said.

Representativesfrom China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, and Iran are gathering in theAustrian capital to restart the talks in an effort to revive the JointComprehensive Plan of Action, with the indirect involvement of the US, which withdrewfrom the deal in 2018.

The 2015 pactwas struck on the basis of Iran curbing its nuclear program in exchange for aneasing in economic sanctions imposed on the country.

Even as thetalks in Vienna went through six rounds without meaningful results, Niu saidIran and the US have maintained intermittent dialogue and expectationsfor a new round of nuclear talks.

Itreflects the willingness of the two sides to advance the resolution of Iraniannuclear issues, he said. This is the most important prerequisitefor substantive progress.

Though the twocountries have committed to the resumed talks, they have kept up a steady criticismof each other, Niu said.

SaeedKhatibzadeh, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said last week thathis country will not keep open the window for negotiations if the JCPOAdoes not imply specific economic interests and the normalization of foreign tradefor the Islamic republic.

Khatibzadehsaid the lifting of the sanctions was the most important issue in the talksthat are about to start.

Interim deal

US NationalSecurity Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the possibility of an interim deal in arecent meeting with his Israeli counterpart Eyal Hulata, arguing that such anarrangement would let the parties buy more time for nuclearnegotiations.

The proposal,in the eyes of some experts, was aimed at putting the brakes on Iran'sadvancements in its nuclear program, such as a freeze on the enrichment ofuranium to 60 percent purity, in exchange for the release of some of Iran'sfrozen funds, Xinhua News Agency reported.

US DefenseSecretary Lloyd Austin said on Nov 20 that if Iran isn't willing toengage seriously, Washington will look at all the options necessary to keep theUS secure.

Hossein Askari,an Iranian economist and emeritus professor of business and internationalaffairs at George Washington University, said in an interview with Iran's MehrNews Agency that a full agreement may be out of reach given the changingsituation. A partial agreement may be better than nothing for theUS, said Askari, referring to Sullivan's proposal.

Niu said thateven as the US and Iran engage in the indirect negotiations in Vienna, fierce exchangesbetween them may yet materialize while the parties gather. The negotiationsresuming this week are the first since Ebrahim Raisi became Iran's president inAugust.

The Raisiadministration, which is generally regarded as holding a tough attitude towardthe US, is unlikely to achieve a clear breakthrough with the US inits first nuclear talks, Niu said.

Niu also notedthe resistance toward a deal in Vienna among some quarters in Iran and the US.

Theoutcome of this round of nuclear talks will, to a large extent, evolve into aclearer statement and description of their respective positions between the JoeBiden administration of the US and the Raisi administration of Iran.

China, one ofthe strongest advocates of the talks, will urge the US and Iran toresolve differences through negotiations and effectively manage conflictswhile supporting Iran to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, Niusaid.

来源：China Daily