The countries involved in negotiations in Vienna on renewing the nuclear deal with Iran have agreed to lift all major sanctions on the Islamic Republic, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Thursday, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency.
"All parties to the talks have agreed to lift all major sanctions on oil, petrochemicals, shipping, insurance, the central bank and so on," Rouhani said. "We have taken the main step and discussed the details; the main agreement has been reached. There are issues we are discussing to reach a final agreement."
Despite the claims by Rouhani, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stressed that some key issues still have not been decided, according to Fars. Araghchi added that the US needed to unilaterally lift sanctions against Iran and return to the UN Security Council.
Araghchi stated that the Iranian delegation is currently leaving Vienna, but would return next week and hopes to reach a conclusion.
In response to a question on whether Iranian would continue to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the deputy foreign minister stated that a decision would be made later by the Iranian government.
The UN nuclear watchdog is still in talks with Tehran on extending a three-month monitoring deal that expires on Friday, it said on Thursday, adding that it will provide an update within days.
"The Agency and Iran are currently in consultations regarding the implementation of the existing understanding," the IAEA said in a statement, adding that the agreement struck on Feb. 21 "remains in effect."
"The Director General will provide an update to the IAEA Board of Governors in the coming days."
The IAEA has described a black-box-type system in which data is collected without the IAEA being able to access it immediately. Diplomats say it includes real-time monitoring of Iran's uranium-enrichment levels and that the equipment might simply keep running for a time in the absence of an extension.