There was a “renewed sense of purpose” at negotiations in Vienna to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal, the co-ordinator of the talks said, even as Tehran insisted it was not backing down from its previous positions.
Russia's envoy said the meeting “was rather short and constructive”, with commonalities on the need to finalise the talks and return to the deal swiftly.
EU diplomat Enrique Mora, the co-ordinator, said he felt there had been “a renewed sense of purpose in the need to work and to reach an agreement on bringing the” 2015 deal back to life.
But he said gaps remained, warning “we don't have all the time in the world".
“It's difficult, it's a very difficult endeavour. There are still different positions that we have to marry. And this is the gist of the negotiation and we will see how we can proceed, how we can advance,” Mr Mora added.
Tehran's top negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, said: “Iran underlined that it seriously continues the talks based on its previous position.
“Iran is serious about reaching an agreement if the ground is paved … the fact that all sides want the talks to continue shows that all parties want to narrow the gaps.”
Iran had been warned by the UK that this was its last chance to re-enter the nuclear deal it agreed with world powers, ahead of the talks resuming in Vienna.
“This is really the last chance for Iran to sign up and I strongly urge them to do that because we are determined to work with our allies to prevent Iran securing nuclear weapons,” said UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
The UK is one of the signatories to the deal to which Iran agreed, as are China, the EU, France, Germany and Russia.
In 2018, former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact and reintroduced heavy sanctions on Iran. Under the terms of the 2015 deal, those financial penalties had been removed in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear capacity.
Since the reimposition of the sanctions, Iran has responded by repeatedly breaching the limits set out in the deal.
After the most recent round of talks last week in Vienna, Iran was accused by the US and European powers of maximalist demands and seeking sweeping changes to draft agreements reached earlier this year.
US diplomats, led by special envoy Robert Malley, are indirectly involved and will join the talks at the weekend. Mr Trump's successor Joe Biden has said he wants to return to the deal.
Russia’s envoy to the negotiations, speaking before the talks resumed on Thursday, said that he was feeling optimistic while also saying “many differences remain”.
Mikhail Ulyanov said his delegation's contacts with the US and Iran “prove that both sides are very serious” about restoring the deal “but their visions of relevant ways and means differ".
“The task of the negotiators is to overcome these differences. It’s feasible in the light of unity of purpose.”
Separately, Ms Truss on Wednesday conceded that Britain owed a decades-old £400 million ($528.26m) debt to Tehran and insisted her government was working to “resolve the issue”.
The debt, related to a cancelled order for 1,500 Chieftain tanks dating from the 1970s, has been linked to the continued detention of UK-Iranian dual citizens in Iran, including charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
“We do want to pay this debt, we recognise it’s a legitimate debt,” Ms Truss said.
Paying back the money is complicated by sanctions on Iran and banking restrictions.
“I’m also pressing for the return of our unfairly detained British nationals, including Nazanin,” Ms Truss said.
More on animal trafficking
The view from The National
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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