Iran says nuclear talks at ‘critical’ stage, ‘optimistic’ about chances for deal

Negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal have entered a “critical” stage during which some key issues still need to be resolved, Tehran’s top diplomat says.

“We hope that some sensitive and important issues remaining in the negotiations will be resolved in the coming days with realism from the Western side,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says at a joint press conference with his Oman counterpart Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi.

Amir-Abdollahian says he is “optimistic” about a deal, while insisting Iran would not give up its “red lines” in the negotiations. He did not elaborate.

The Vienna talks, which involve Iran, as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly, resumed in November.

In recent days, progress in the negotiations has been reported by France, Germany, the US, and even Iran.

Signs of an agreement coming together emerged over the past week, with France warning that Iran has just days left to accept a deal.