ENVOYS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IRAN NUKE TALKS IN VIENNA

The first round of talks between top diplomats to try to save the Iranian nuclear deal concluded in Vienna on Friday and will be resumed next week, with participants sounding cautious optimism about the progress made so far, Albert Otti reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Negotiators had "noted with satisfaction the initial progress made" at the end of the first three days of talks, Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter. "The commission will reconvene next week in order to maintain the positive momentum."

Ahead of the Friday talks, Tehran sounded a positive note about the negotiations. "There are signs that the US is about to revise its position and lift sanctions,” Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the talks were "constructive" but cautioned against premature celebration.

"All sides showed a willingness to work with the necessary sincerity towards the same goal - the full implementation of the nuclear deal with Iran," Maas told German news network RND in comments published Saturday.

"It won't be easy. We are only at the beginning of intensive negotiations," he said, adding that the talks concern highly complex issues and finding solutions will require a willingness to compromise from all sides.

The remaining parties of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are conducting a fresh round of discussions on a possible US return to the deal, which aims to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief. The US pulled out in 2018. Trading restrictions reimposed by Washington have prevented Tehran from reaping significant economic benefits.

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