Teheran says deal at hand if West is serious

TEHERAN－Iran said on Monday a "good agreement" will be within reach in the short term if Western countries show seriousness to fully honor their commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the remarks after meeting with his visiting Irish counterpart Simon Coveney in Teheran, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Amir Abdollahian told reporters that Iran is ready to reach a good agreement and does not welcome the Western side's hostile approach.

Amir Abdollahian stressed that Iran seeks to reach a good agreement as soon as possible as it would be better for the country, noting that such an agreement must be reached within the framework of logical negotiations and safeguard the Iranian nation's interests and rights.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in his meeting with Coveney later in the day that the removal of sanctions and respect for the rights of Iran's people are what the Islamic republic insists on in the Vienna talks.

Positive signs are also coming from the Austrian capital, as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell added to hopes of a renewed deal.

"I strongly believe an agreement is in sight," he said on Twitter, after a call with Iran's foreign minister.

'Ultimate effort'

"The moment has come to make an ultimate effort and reach a compromise," Borrell said in his dual capacity as coordinator of the deal.

Iran signed the nuclear deal－called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA－with world powers in July 2015. However, then US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, which prompted the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments one year later and advance its halted nuclear programs.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties－Britain, China, France, and Russia plus Germany－to revive the landmark deal, with the United States indirectly involved.

In another development in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett landed in the Gulf state of Bahrain to meet with Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, in the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to the Gulf country.

The two leaders will discuss "additional ways to strengthen bilateral ties", the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement, adding they will exchange views on the importance of peace, advancement, and prosperity in the region, and especially the advancement of diplomatic issues.

Xinhua - Agencies