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Iran on Monday said an agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers was "at hand", but insisted that sanctions be "truly lifted" through ongoing talks in Vienna, AFP reports.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, receiving Irish foreign and defense minister Simon Coveney, said that "sanctions must be truly lifted" in the ongoing negotiations to revive the deal in the Austrian capital.
"The rights of the Iranian people must be respected," he stressed.
Raisi hailed Ireland's "independence from the United States and some European countries", adding that the two countries have "vast capabilities" to strengthen ties.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also said that he believed a revived agreement is "at hand", provided the US and European parties "are serious" about returning to full compliance with the deal.
"Our goal is the full removal of all JCPOA sanctions," the Foreign Minister stressed, adding that "it is better for the Islamic Republic to reach an agreement today rather than tomorrow".
Meanwhile, 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 Amir-Abdollahian, adding, "The moment has come to make an ultimate effort and reach a compromise."
The talks to revive the 2015 deal with Iran on its nuclear program resumed in Vienna several days ago.
Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018.
However, it has held several rounds of indirect talks with the US on reviving the deal. The talks are being mediated by the remaining five countries that are party to the deal.
Negotiators from the three European countries involved in the negotiations recently said the talks are reaching their final stage and now require political input.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that talks with Iran have reached an urgent point and warned that it will be impossible to return to the Iran nuclear deal if an agreement is not reached in coming weeks.