Thread by @lrozen

thread, Senior State Department official on background call on the Iran deal talks in Vienna this week said on the whole they were productive and businesslike but they still have questions about Iran intent and willingness to take steps to come back into compliance. 1/

Snr State Dept official: If Iran sticks to the position that every sanction imposed since 2017 has to be lifted or there will be no deal, then we are heading for an impasse.

State official: Coming out of this week, it met expectations, but a question mark still hangs over the proceedings.
The parties will reconvene in Vienna next week midweek. The US team will be back.
clarifying what steps to come back into compliance

When return to Vienna next week, the senior State Dept official said, they hope to see from Iran a greater indication of what they are prepared to do and a greater indication they are prepared to show a constructive attitude. 4/

State offl: Repeated statements by Iran that all sanctions imposed since 2017 have to be lifted, that is not consistent with the deal itself. We have made clear we are prepared to lift those sanctions inconsistent with JCPOA if Iran comes back into compliance.

(cont'd) Does not mean all of them, some are legitimate ....
it sounded like they did not get to the sequencing issue this round because they are still in the stage of defining what coming back into full compliance would involve, re: sanctions.

He also indicated that the US did not have a role in the Iranian release of the South Korean vessel, that was a deal between Iran and South Korea. (In other words, the US did not give a wink on Iran access to its funds in Korea.)

He wld not specify which sanctions US considers consistent or not w/JCPOA, & did say previous admin made concerted effort to impose sanx to impede next admin's hand, but still seemed to suggest Iran's statements on sanctions lifting seeking too maximalist & raise ? on its intent

He reiterated how cumbersome it is to discuss US sanctions relief via EU intermediaries, because the Iranians don't agree US can be part of multilateral talks til back in deal: It is impossible for EU to have discussion about our sanctions. That makes it slower&more complicated

It sounds like a "chicken or egg" issue on getting to direct talks. Iran doesn't agree US can be at the table til back in the deal, but the talks to get back into the deal are slowed down because Iran won't agree to direct talks.