Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday said that Tehran and other world powers are in agreement that sanctions on his country will be lifted as negotiations continue over re-entry into the Obama-era nuclear deal.
Rouhani said that a “main agreement” has been reached after indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. over how to revive the 2015 nuclear deal took a “major step,” according to state media.
Former President TrumpDonald TrumpCuomo investigation includes priority virus testing for family, associates: report Anonymous Capitol Police letter to spur support for Jan. 6 probe causes stir Florida GOP passes bill that would clear way for Trump casino license MORE pulled the U.S. out of the pact in 2018.
ADVERTISEMENT
The negotiations, taking place through European intermediaries in Vienna, are still focusing on “details and finer points” before there’s “a final agreement.”
The remarks come after the latest round of talks ended Wednesday, with negotiators saying that progress had been made in restoring the nuclear deal.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill regarding Rouhani’s remarks.
Click Here: Cheap Vans Women Shoes
A potential deal marks the most tangible sign of progress in the weekslong talks, which had been hung up on how to return Washington and Tehran to compliance with the nuclear pact.
Washington had maintained that Iran must return its uranium enrichment to the limits the deal set out, but Tehran said that sanctions that were applied when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal must first be lifted before it makes any changes to its nuclear program.
The two sides were staring down an informal deadline of June 18, when Iran will hold presidential elections. Observers had speculated that Tehran would be increasingly reluctant to make a deal the closer it gets to that date.
Rouhani has served the maximum two terms as president and is barred from running for reelection.
The alleviation of sanctions on various Iranian sectors, particularly its oil industry, will be a massive boon to its struggling economy. An analysis from Citigroup predicted that the U.S. would likely permit Tehran to boost exports by 500,000 barrels a day from the middle of the third quarter, according to Bloomberg News.