PARTIES TO IRAN NUKE DEAL MEET IN VIENNA—EU

Parties negotiating a revival of the Iran nuclear deal will hold a formal meeting in Vienna on Sunday, the European Union (EU) said on Saturday, John Irish reported for Reuters.

Iran and six world powers have been negotiating in Vienna since April to work out steps for Washington and Tehran to take. The United States withdrew in 2018 from the pact, under which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting many foreign sanctions against it.

Sunday's formal meeting comes more than a week after this round of talks resumed and is an indication that the talks are likely to be adjourned. Officials over the week have indicated that differences remain on key issues.

"The Joint Commission of #JCPOA will meet on Sunday, June 20," Mikhail Ulyanov Russia's envoy to the talks said on Twitter. "It will decide on the way ahead at the #ViennaTalks. An agreement on restoration of the nuclear deal is within reach but is not finalized yet."

The remaining parties to the deal - Iran, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and the EU - meet in the basement of a luxury hotel. The US delegation to the talks is based in a hotel across the street as Iran refuses face-to-face meetings, leaving the other delegations and EU to work as go-betweens.

Since former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran, Tehran has embarked on countermeasures, including rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, a potential pathway to nuclear bombs.

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